Is My Ghusl Valid without Being Circumcised?

Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi

Question

I’m not circumcised but have a short foreskin.  I wanted get circumcised some years ago but my doctor said I shouldn’t. Now, many years later I don’t actually want to and I am afraid of operations. Are my prayers actually valid or should I get circumcised and make them up?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. 

I pray this finds you in the best of states.

It is merely recommended (mustahab) to wash the area of your private part under the foreskin if this would entail hardship on you. Not doing so won’t prevent the validity of your ritual bath. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]   

If there is no difficulty for you to uncover the tip of the penis then it is obligatory to wash the area under the foreskin. [Ibid]   

Circumcision

Circumcision is an emphasized sunna for a male believer. Failing to do so without an excuse can be sinful. [Ibid]   

Valid health concerns confirmed by a reliable Muslim doctor is a recognized excuse.

And Allah knows best.

[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani 

Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found.

Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.

He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others.

He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.