Circumcision of Prophet Muhammad

One of the miracles and a sign of his prophet hood was that Prophet Muhammad was born circumcised. ¹ The Holy Prophet himself described this phenomenon and considered it to be a blessing of

. ² Furthermore, he was born in all clean, ³ which means that he was not covered in any filth of blood or other fluids, in which a normal baby is usually covered when born.

A large number of historians and experts of Prophet Muhammad’s biography have cited that he was born circumcised. However, a few citations state that he was circumcised by his grandfather Abdul Muttalib, on the 7th day of his birth ⁴ or by Jibrael (Angel Gabriel) , when he opened the Holy Prophet's chest and cleaned his heart. ⁵ But, these citations were never considered to be reliable by most of the scholars. Imam Zurqani states:

  قال ابن الجوزي: لا شك أنه ولد مختونًا قال القطب الخيضري: وهو الأرجح عندي، أن طريقًا جيدا صححه الضياء وحسنه مغلطاي، مع أنه أوضح من جهة النظرلأنه في حقه صلى اللّٰه علیه وسلم غاية الكمال. ⁶

  Ibn Jawzi said: There is no doubt that the Holy Prophet was born circumcised. Al-Qutub Al-Khaidhari said: this is the more authentic citation for me (in comparison to the others). The narrators of these citations (which state that Prophet Muhammad was born circumcised) are reliable and strong, declared Sahih (Authentic) by Al-Diya and Hasan by Mughaltai. Along with that, if contemplated, this is the most suitable to have happened which is in accordance with the honor and prestige of the (Holy) Prophet .

It is stated that the Holy

himself admitted it to be a blessing and favor from Almighty . Abu Nua’ym quotes Anas ibn Malik and states:

  عن أنس بن مالك عن النبي صلی الله علیه وسلم قال:من كرامتي على ربي أني ولدت مختوناولم ير أحد سوأتي. ⁷

  Anas ibn Malik narrates that the (Holy) Prophet said: it is added to my honor in the court of Allah that I was born circumcised and no one saw my private parts.

Similar citations have been copied by Abd Al-Rahman ibn Jawzi in Wafa ⁸ and in Sifat ul Safwah, ⁹ by Tabarani in Maujam ¹⁰ and by Abu Hafs Ansari in Ghayat al-Soul. ¹¹ Zuhri declared it as Jayyid (authentic) ¹² and Ibn Kathir copied it on the authority of Ibn Umar. ¹³ It is also cited by Shaikh Nabhani in Hujjatullah. ¹⁴ Furthermore, Prophet Muhammad’s umbilical cord was also naturally cut when he was born. ¹⁵

 

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• ¹ Qadi Ayaz ibn Musa Maliki (2012), Al-Shifa be-Tareef Huqooq Al-Mustafa, Dar ibn Hazam, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 150.
• ² Abu Al-Abbas Ahmed ibn Ali Al-Hussaini (1999), Imta’ Al-Asma bima lin Nabi Min Al-Ahwal wal-Amwal wal-Hafadah wal-Mata’a, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 4, Pg. 57.
• ³ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1990), Tabaqat Al-Kubra, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 82.
• ⁴ Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Habban Al-Tamimi (1417A.H.), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah wa Akhbar Al-Khulafah, Dar Al-Thaqafiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 58.
• ⁵ Ahmed ibn Muhammad Al-Qastallani (2009), Al-Mawahib Al-Laduniyyah bil Manh Al-Muhammadiyah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 72.
• ⁶ Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Baqi ibn Yusuf Al-Zurqani (2012), Sharah Al-Zurqani Ala Al-Mawahib Al-Laduniyyah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 236.
• ⁷ Abu Nua’ym Ahmed ibn Abdullah Al-Asbahani (2012), Dalail Al-Nabuwwah, Maktabah Asariyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 87-88.
• ⁸ Abu Al-Faraj Abdul Rahman ibn Ali Al-Jawzi (1976), Al-Wafa be-Ahwal Al-Mustafa, Al-Maktabah Al-Taufiqiyah, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 164.
• ⁹ Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr ibn Qayyam Al-Jawzi (2009), Sifat Al-Safwah, Dar Al-Hadith, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 22.
• ¹⁰ Abu Al-Qasim Sulaiman ibn Ahmed Al-Tabarani, Al-Maujam Al-Awsat, Hadith: 6148, Dar Al-Haramain, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 6, Pg. 188.
• ¹¹ Abu Hafs Umar ibn Ali Al-Ansari (N.D.), Ghayat Al-Sul fe Khasais Al-Rasul, Dar Al-Bashair Al-Islamiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 301.
• ¹² Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (2013), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fe Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 347.
• ¹³ Abul Fida Ismael ibn Kathir Al-Damishqi (1976), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Kathir, Dar Al-Marifah lil-Taba’at wal-Nashr wal-Tawzeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 209.
• ¹⁴ Yusuf ibn Ismail Nabhani (2005), Hujjatullah Ala Al-A’lameen fe Maujizat Sayyid Al-Mursalin, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 170.
• ¹⁵ Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmed Al-Halabi (2013), Al-Seerah Al-Halabiyah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 78.