Re: What is the aim of circumcision of men in Islam?
Please read below (Genesis 17:10-14): … Muslims accept that this covenant is there between Allah and Ibrahim (AS), and due to covenant it is deemed obligatory on male descendants of Ibrahim (AS) to circumcise. According to hadith, Ibrahim (AS) was 80 years old when this covenant was made and he (AS) circumcised himself.
Genesis 17:10-14
New International Version (NIV)
**10 **This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.
**11 **You are to undergo circumcision,and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.
**12 **For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring.
**13 **Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.
**14 **Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
Note: Another thing to remember … as far as I know is that … Quran does not mention that Muslims should circumcise neither there is hadith that ask Muslims to circumcise.
But since most Arabs and all Quraish were descendant of Ibrahim (AS) … due to covenant between Allah and their fore-father Ibrahim (AS), they used to circumcise as obligation. Since Islam spread, Muslims also adopted circumcision as not only preferred but recommended practice … as Sunnat-e-Ibrahimi.
One should understand that sunnah is a practice that Prophet (SAW) used to observe. And what could be better Sunnah to follow than what Prophet (SAW) not only used to observe, but Prophet (SAW), his family (AS), and all earlier Muslims who were also descendant of Ibrahim (AS) considered it obligatory to observe?