What is the ruling on female circumcision in Islam?
Female circumcision was a traditional practice of some of the communities in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic era. Islam neither adopted the practice nor promoted it by giving it any legal status. Recently, medical studies have concluded that the female circumcision has numerous physical and mental risks associated with it.1 Therefore, this practice should be abandoned based on the Quranic verse which states, “And spend in the way of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction…” (2:195) Additionally, the application of the legal maxim known as 'la darar wa la dirar', which means that one must not harm himself or bring harm to others also supports the abandonment of the practice.
Furthermore, female circumcision has been declared illegal and criminalised in many countries and therefore, one must abstain from it as there is an obligation on Muslims to respect the law of the land in which they reside.
1 NHS, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/female-genital-mutilation-fgm/