In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

FGM – Female Genital Mutilation

Allaah [The Most High] said:

يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ

They want to extinguish Allaah’s Light with their mouths [i.e. the Qur’an, the pure Islamic monotheism, and the guidance Allaah sent Muhammad with] but Allah will not allow it except that His Light should be perfected even though the disbelievers hate (it). [Soorah At-Tawbah: Ayah: 32]

Imaam Ibn Katheer [may Allah have mercy upon him] said: They wish to destroy the guidance and religion of truth that Allah gave His Messenger through their arguments and fabrications, so their example in this is that of someone who attempts to put out the light of the sun or the moon by blowing at them, but this (person) can never succeed in doing so. (1)

On July 12, Jason Burke published a piece titled “Sudan Bans FGM and Breaks With Hardline Islamic Policies” in The Guardian.

First, we reiterate our call for these ideologues hiding behind journalism to exercise restraint since what constitutes a hard line or moderate position is completely determined by the commands and prohibitions of the Creator rather than by the preferences of men. Shaikhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah [may Allah have mercy upon him] said: “And even though there is something in the paths of analogy and reflection that will lead to knowledge, however, at other times it cannot give a detailed explanation in a dispute between the people of the earth due to the minute details and ambiguities (in that dispute) and at other times due to the fact that the people differ when prioritising necessities. As a result, Allaah [The Exalted] directed us to refer back to the revelation if there is a disagreement.

كَانَ ٱلنَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَٰحِدَةً فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ وَأَنزَلَ مَعَهُمُ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ ٱلنَّاسِ فِيمَا ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِيهِ

Mankind was one community and Allah sent Prophets with glad tidings and warnings, and with them He sent the Scripture in truth to judge between people in matters wherein they differed. [Surah Al-Baqarah. Ayah 213] (2)

We ask these ideologues which intellect should we follow if we’re going to declare that the intellect should take precedence over the revelation? Is the intellect of one man the sum of the intellects of all the people, or are they different? We remind them that there are intellects of philosophers, atheists, heretics, people with wicked motives, and people who conflate truth and untruth, thus had the intellects been one, it would have been deemed to be the foundation of truth.

Second, in order to discern between truth and falsehood, this topic requires investigation and clarification. It is required of these ideologues to provide specifics and draw distinctions. Imam Ibnul Qayyim [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “It is obligatory to provide specifics and draw distinctions because vague, undefined speech without clarification has in fact corrupted this existence (the world) and led people’s minds and worldviews astray in every era”. Al-Allaamah Saalih Al-Fawzaan [may Allah preserve him] said: “A thorough clarification is required. One who lacks the ability to provide details should refrain from speaking because his speech will not be of any help. Additionally, the absence of a thorough explanation of what is true and false is the root cause of every inaccuracy. There has to be a thorough explanation and clear demarcation, and avoidance of confusion. It’s possible that an opponent’s claim contains both truth and untruth, therefore it can’t be assumed that it’s entirely true or false; instead, there needs to be a distinction made between its truth and falsehood. It is not rejected or accepted in its entirety; rather, a difference is established between what is true and correct and what is untrue and incorrect. And if you lack the ability to provide detail, you shouldn’t enter into this field”. (3)

Here is a comprehensive, knowledge-based discussion of this topic:

http://www.aboutatheism.net/articles/kflqsjb-on-female-genital-mutilation-culture-and-islam-a-refutation-of-ayaan-hirsi-ali.cfm

Jason, however, followed up by writing:

Bravo, Jason, for distancing Islam from FGM, but given that the practise still exists, is encouraged by some clerics and is still a cultural practise, it is still necessary to draw a precise distinction between the recommendation for female circumcision in Islam and FGM, as explained in this article on page 2: http://www.aboutatheism.net/articles/kflqsjb-on-female-genital-mutilation-culture-and-islam-a-refutation-of-ayaan-hirsi-ali.cfm

We continue to urge these ideologues to avoid making statements about Muslims and matters pertaining to them without understanding them and providing evidence based on expertise and honesty.

[Ref 1: End of quote: See Al-Misbaah Al-Muneer Fee Tahdeeb Tafseer Ibn Katheer]

[Ref 2: Dar Ta’aarud Al-Aql Wan-Naql: 9/17-18]

[Ref 3: An Excerpt from At-Ta-leeqaat Al-Mukhtasar Alaa Al-Qaseedah an-Nooniyyah: Vol: 1 page: 216]