Circumcision is obligatory for men and women; and it is proper conduct for the woman who performs circumcision on women [khaatinah] to observe what Abu Dawud narrated in his Sunan from a hadith of Umm ‘Atiyya Al-Ansariya: A certain woman was circumcised in Medina, and the Prophet (SAW) told her [i.e. the khaatinah]: Do not go all the way, for that is more of a privilege for the woman and more desirable for the husband. And Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Prophet (SAW) said to Umm ‘Atiyya: Whenever you diminish [i.e. circumcise], leave a little and do not go all the way, for that is better-looking for the face and more of a privilege with the husband.
Abu ‘Uthman Al-Basri said: The basis for circumcision for women is not an attempt at pleasantness without also seeking to reduce the sex drive, so that self-restraint is less burdensome for them. What the Messenger of Allah (SAW) meant in saying “Do not go all the way” was to decrease the woman’s desire so to bring about just the right amount of moderation; for indeed if her desire is too low, enjoyment departs and spousal love diminishes; and it is known that spousal love is restraint from adultery.
And some of the nobility said to the women performing the circumcisions: Only go as far as what is visible; most of the abstinent women have been cut too completely; indeed adultery has arisen, as well as men more commonly seeking out women from India or Rome, since the desire of these women for men is stronger, and there is no other reason for this but an excess of clitoral head, for once the people of India delved deeper into the richness of coitus, they forbade circumcision.