Is circumcision compulsory in Islam?

The simple answer is NO! The Quran has no mention of circumcision. It makes no request for circumcision of men or women. In numerous verses of the Qur'an, Allah tells us that he has created everything, including human beings, in the most perfect form. In the following verse, Allah explicitly states this with regards to the human creation: Chapter (95) sūrat l-tīn (The Fig) Sahih International: We have certainly created man in the best of stature; Chapter (23) sūrat l-mu'minūn (The Believers) Sahih International: Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah , the best of creators. Chapter (27) sūrat l-naml (The Ants) Sahih International: And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they will pass as the passing of clouds. [It is] the work of Allah , who perfected all things. Indeed, He is Acquainted with that which you do. Chapter (32) sūrat l-sajdah (The Prostration) Sahih International: Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay. Chapter (40) sūrat ghāfir (The Forgiver God) Sahih International: It is Allah who made for you the earth a place of settlement and the sky a ceiling and formed you and perfected your forms and provided you with good things. That is Allah , your Lord; then blessed is Allah , Lord of the worlds. The only place that circumcision is mentioned is in the Hadith. Bukhari :: Book 1 :: Volume 1 :: Hadith 6, Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: ....While they were discussing it, a messenger sent by the king of Ghassan to convey the news of Allah's Apostle to Heraclius was brought in. Having heard the news, he (Heraclius) ordered the people to go and see whether the messenger of Ghassan was circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs. The messenger replied, 'Arabs also practice circumcision.' Bukhari :: Book 4 :: Volume 55 :: Hadith 575, Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Abraham did his circumcision with an adze at the age of eighty." Bukhari :: Book 7 :: Volume 72 :: Hadith 777, Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Five practices are characteristics of the Fitra: circumcision, shaving the pubic region, clipping the nails and cutting the moustaches short." Bukhari :: Book 7 :: Volume 72 :: Hadith 779,  Narrated Abu Huraira : I heard the Prophet saying. "Five practices are characteristics of the Fitra: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair, cutting the moustaches short, clipping the nails, and depilating the hair of the armpits." Dawud :: Book 41 : Hadith 5251,  Narrated Umm Atiyyah al-Ansariyyah: A woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said to her: Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband. Malik :: Book 43 : Hadith 43.5.4 Malik said, "The generally agreed on way of doing things in our community is that when the doctor performs a circumcision and cuts off the glans, he must pay the full blood-money. That is because it is an accident which the tribe is responsible for, and the full blood money is payable for all that in which a doctor errs or exceeds, when it is not intentional." Malik :: Book 49 : Hadith 49.3.3 Yahya related to me from Malik from Said ibn Abi Said al-Maqburi from his father that Abu Hurayra said, "There are five things from the fitra: cutting the nails, trimming the moustache, removing the hair from the armpit, shaving the pubic region and circumcision." Muslim :: Book 2 : Hadith 495, Abu Huraira reported: Five are the acts quite akin to the Fitra, or five are the acts of Fitra: circumcision, shaving the pubes, cutting the nails, plucking the hair under the armpits and clipping the moustache. Muslim :: Book 2 : Hadith 496 Abu Huraira reported: Five are the acts of fitra: circumcision, removing the pubes, clipping the moustache, cutting the nails, plucking the hair under the armpits. So we can see that these hadith are in clear contradiction of the Quran which clearly states that (God) "formed you and perfected your forms" so when a hadith tells yo to change that form by cutting off part of your body it is clearly wrong. Circumcision is a matter of personal choice. It is not compulsory in Islam, it is only mentioned in the hadith and is mentioned in the same context as cuttings ones hair or nails. -justislam.co.uk