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CONGRUITIES AND INCONGRUITIES BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND THE QUR'AN |
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Circumcision in Islam is not a sign of a Covenant, it is a sign indicative of the obedience of to laws.
« So We have taught thee the inspired (Message), "Follow the ways of Abraham the True in Faith, and he joined not gods with Allah." »(Surah 16/123)
« Say: "(Allah) speaketh the Truth: follow the religion of Abraham, the sane in faith; he was not of the Pagans »(Surah 3/95)
In the Qur'an there is no explicit indication about circumcision; yet, as it stated that Abraham's religion should be followed as mentioned above, God's Messenger had carried on this custom. As a matter of fact, this practice was customary among pre-Islamic Arabs.
Circumcision is the cutting off of the prepuce of males. Muhammad had his grandsons Hasan and Huseyin circumcised at the aged of eight. There is no strict prescribed term for it, but it is customarily done before the boy is thirteen years old. Everybody must be circumcised even after the aforementioned age. Abraham had received the message when he was ninety-nine years old and was circumcised the same day with his son Ishmael who was thirteen years old.
The benefits of this practice came to be better understood as medicine developed. As a matter of fact, the number of people circumcised increases everyday both in the west and in the United States.
SUMMARY