Cutting the foreskin partially in circumcision Fatwa No: 92199
- Fatwa Date:17-7-2006
Asamulaikum, The type of cirmumission done in the provincial part of my country is done locally and must often the foreskin covereing the penis is not completely/wholey taken out(i.e they cut partly) .It leaves some some skin around the penis (penis is covered).And if this person grew up to full manhood without being re-circimised due to stigma posed for grown up adult to be circumised in this part of the world.Firstly What is the ruling on this?Secondly,Should/must he undergo re-circumiion at manhood? Thirdly does this condition(not properly circumised) invalidate all this islamic pratcices(prayers,fast,etc). Fourthly, it a common believe in this part of the world (Africa) that uncircumcised person's prayers are not accepted , cannot be an Imam and is not permissable for him to sluaghter any animals for muslim to eat. Baraka Allahu fikum.
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
The circumcision that is legislated for a man is to cut the foreskin of the glans in a way that the entire glans will be uncovered. Since this is not done, then it is an obligation to cut the remaining foreskin of the glans if this does not cause any harm. An-Nawawi said: ‘If a portion of the foreskin which covers the glans remained (i.e. after circumcision), it is an obligation to cut it. This is the same as the case of someone who had undergone an incomplete circumcision, it is an obligation on him to undergo a re-circumcision and cut the foreskin covering the glans until the entire glans appears.’
You should know that having some uncut foreskin covering the glans does not render the prayer invalid; nonetheless, a Muslim should purify that place after urinating and when performing Ghusl (i.e. ritual bath); because it is most likely that some impurity could gather under that foreskin.
The prayer and other acts of worship, like fasting, Hajj and Zakat are valid in principle even from a person who did not undergo any circumcision, according to the agreement of the scholars so why would these acts of worship not be accepted from someone who had undergone a circumcision but did not have a proper circumcision [had left some foreskin uncut]? Believing that the prayer of such person [who did not have a proper circumcision] is void and that his slaughtering is not accepted is not a correct belief, and there is no evidence about this in the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Prophet .
For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 81632 and 90462.
As regards the Prophetic narration which reads "A person who did not undergo circumcision should not perform Hajj until he undergoes circumcision.", which is narrated by Abu Burdah then Imaam An-Nawawi said that it is a weak narration. Moreover, Ibn Al-Munthir said about it: 'This narration is not authentic and its chain of narrators is unknown.'
Allaah Knows best.