Overview

Khitan is the cutting of the foreskin of the male, and the name applies to the place of cutting as well; it is also called khifd and i'dhar — some reserve khitan for the male, khifd for the female, and i'dhar for both. ¹

Ruling

The Hanafis, Malikis and a report from Ahmad hold it a sunna for men, not obligatory — yet one of the marks of Islam such that if a town's people abandoned it the imam would fight them — and recommended for women per the Malikis, an honour per a Hanafi-Hanbali view; their proof: "circumcision is sunna for men and an honour for women" and "five of the fitra: circumcision, removing pubic hair…" ²

Obligation

The Shafi'is, Hanbalis and the implication of Sahnun's Maliki view hold it obligatory for men and women. ²

Fleshy growth in the wife's womb and the right to annul (afal)

In the lexicon, afal is a fleshy growth in a woman's genital passage, which arises after childbirth and not in virgins; some say it is a swelling that narrows the passage until penetration is impossible. Some jurists distinguish it from ratq, a closure from birth; both are defects that give an option to end the marriage. The Malikis and Hanbalis hold that it gives the husband an option to annul the marriage, since it defeats the marriage's main purpose; Abu Hanifa and Abu Yusuf hold that neither spouse has such an option. The Shafi'is count ratq and qaran, another closure, as defects peculiar to women that give the option.

Male circumcision

At a glance

Overview

Ruling

Obligation

People and things also explored

Sources

Living

Fleshy growth in the wife's womb and the right to annul (afal)