Best age for circumcision

Question

Asslamu allikum.

What Islam says about circumcision, at what age we can do circumcision?

Answer 1

Male Circumcision is among the rites of Islam and is part of the (in Arabic): fitrah,

As recorded in Hadith@

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "Five are the acts quite akin to fitrah:Circumcision, clipping or shaving the pubes, cutting the nails, plucking or shaving the hair under the armpits and clipping (or shaving) the moustache." (Reported in Bukhari & Muslim)

The Time for Circumcision@

During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) circumcision was done for boys at the time of their Aqiqah (It's a traditional celebration for the birth of a child which involves the sacrifice of an animal in thanks to Allah. That's the short answer) as reported in al-Bayhaq.

Other Hadiths mention it being done later. The details here are not important but it goes without saying that this minor operation is easier on a baby than it is on an older boy.

If it is essential, circumcision can be delayed for practical reasons, but it would be sensible to perform circumcision before the boy starts prayingregularly due to practical purposes of simplifying Taharah, or being clean.

Abdullah Ibn Jabir (r.a.) and Aisha (r.a.) said@

The Prophet (peace be upon him) performed the Aqiqah of al-Hasan and al-Hussein (the prophets grandsons) and circumcised them on the 7th. Day.

Thus, It would be good to circumcision within a few days after the birth of the child.

Some scholar also recommended that circumcision is to be performed on the seventh day of infancy-the day of Aqiqah.

MAY ALLAH GUIDE US

Answer 2

First look at this hadees

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Five practices are characteristics of the Fitra: circumcision, shaving the pubic region, clipping the nails and cutting the moustaches short." (Bukhari Book 72, Hadith 777)

So you should ask your self...

"How fast you want your child to have characteristics of the Islamic Fitra?"?

As a muslim, it should be the earliest. We should race towards good deeds...

Another thing I have heard is that if circumcision is done late, the child feels mutilated if they don't understand the reasoning behind doing it. So many recommend as early as possible.

A small note about antibiotics.... Allah forbid your child is playing and hurts himself, he might have to take much more heavy dose of antibiotics than the ones required for this small procedure.