Question:
Assalamu alaikum sheikh,
According to the Shafii Madhab female circumcision is wajib. My question is, if we do not circumcise a female is it sin? Can we do circumcision after she reached puberty (baligh)? Or can we leave it without doing circumcision? Please reply shaikh. May Allah accept your effort & guide us in right path!
Country: Sri Lanka
Answer:
Wa alaykum salam wa rahmatuLlahi wa barakatuHu,
In the Shafi’i Scool, circumcision is necessary for both men and women. (Sharh al-Muhadhdhab v. 1, p. 300) It is recommended for a child’s guardian to circumcise it during infancy, while not obligatory. It is obligatory that one be circumcised after reaching puberty. (Ibid p. 302-03)
If one fears harm, then circumcision may be delayed. (Nihayat al-Muhtaj v. 8, p. 36)
Some scholars, like Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik, did not consider circumcision obligatory for a female. There are views similar to theirs transmitted from the Shafi’is too. In these views there is some latitude. (Rawdat al-Talibin v. 10, p. 180; Sharh al-Muhadhdhab v. 1, p. 300)
And Allah knows best.
Shafiifiqh.com Fatwa Dept.
Also see:
http://www.shafiifiqh.com/?p=630
and
http://www.shafiifiqh.com/?p=1557