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What is your guidance for someone who has recently begun to commit to religious observance and has encountered doubts about certain religious issues, such as "female circumcision, slavery, and concubinage," which have psychologically and academically affected her, making her doubt what she used to accept as true? How can she rid herself of these doubts and deal with critics of preachers?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

One must completely refrain from looking into doubts (shubuhat) to preserve one's faith and the purity of one's heart. An unqualified person does not have the ability to refute them, and this could lead to their own temptation and the temptation of others. The prophetic Sunnah warns against exposing oneself to doubts. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, became angry when he saw a scroll of the Torah with Umar. He also warned against the Dajjal. The early Muslims (Salaf) emphasized not sitting with people of desires and innovations. Jurists (Fuqaha) prohibited looking into the books of the People of the Book and innovators, except for a specialist who can refute them. One should turn to Allah through acts of worship to increase tranquility. Also, one must avoid debating issues related to what your right hand possesses (slavery). Circumcision is an honor (makrumah) and not an obligation; it varies according to different countries and should be performed by a specialized female doctor if a benefit is seen in it. It is recommended to seek the help of a trustworthy Muslim psychiatrist if there is a need for it.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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