Short answer
Some boys are born with little or no foreskin. If the head of the penis is uncovered so that he looks circumcised, nothing more needs to be done. If part of the foreskin still covers it, the remainder should be removed when a doctor says it is safe. The four schools agree no cut is needed when nothing remains.
A boy born looking circumcised, with the glans exposed, is not to be cut. If enough foreskin remains to be removed without serious harm, removing it fulfils the sunnah of circumcision; if a doctor advises against it, it is left.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Circumcision for boys is a stressed sunnah in the Hanafi school, and the Prophet ﷺ listed it first among the acts of fitrah (natural disposition). Its purpose is to uncover the head of the penis so it can be kept clean. When a boy is born with that already done by nature, the purpose is met.
What doctors see:
- No foreskin at all (aposthia): rare. Nothing to do.
- A partial or hooded foreskin: more common. Part of the head is visible. Whether to remove the rest is a medical decision.
- Hypospadias and similar conditions: the foreskin may look incomplete, and surgeons often need it for repair. Do not circumcise until a specialist has checked.
The Hanafi ruling: the classical texts say that if the boy is such that anyone seeing him would think he was circumcised, he is left alone. If the foreskin covers the glans and can be removed, it is cut as with any boy. Follow the advice of a qualified paediatric doctor, since causing harm to complete a sunnah is not required.
You may hear that the Prophet ﷺ was born circumcised. Most hadith scholars judge the reports saying this to be weak, so do not build anything on them. For the general ruling and the age, see is circumcision mandatory and why Muslims circumcise.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Sahih al-Bukhari 5891
Sahih... الفطرة خمس الختان والاستحداد ...
"Five things are part of the fitrah: circumcision, shaving the pubic hair..."
Circumcision is a sunnah of fitrah whose aim is to uncover and clean.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab al-Karahiyya, chapter on circumcision. A boy who looks circumcised at birth is not cut.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Khuntha, closing issues on circumcision. Circumcision is sunnah and is left when it would cause harm.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Chapter on the sunnahs of fitrah. One born without a foreskin has no circumcision due.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.