Abrogation in the Qur'aan!

Abrogation in the Glorious Qur’aan

By: Shahid Bin Waheed شاهد بن وحيد

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمدلله رب العالمين والصلوة والسلام على اشرف الانبياء وسيدالمرسلين نبينا محمد صل ا لله عليه وعلى آله واصحابه وازواجه اجمعين - امابعد

All the praises and thanks be to Allaah, Sustainer of the Universe, and blessing and salutation to be the most distinguish of the Messengers and foremost among the Prophets, our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allaah be on him and on his wives, children and Companions.

Explanation of Naskh (Abrogation) of Verses in Glorious Qur’aan!

رفع الحكم شرعى بدليل شرعى

Christian missionaries love to misrepresent the truth about so-called abrogation in the Glorious Qur’aan, while also claiming the so-called contradictions for the same issue/reference etcetera. It can’t be both, though none of their claim is true. What follows is derived from the Bible itself showing obvious abrogation.

The English word “abrogation” literally signifies annulment, nullification or cancellation. However, in Islaamic terminology that is used in Glorious Qur’aan, it means expiration of the period of the validity of a practical injunction”. Following are the root letters and words derived from them, with their use in Glorious Qur’aan at four occasions (Chapters and verses are mentioned in blue next to Ayaat).

ن س خ

نَنْسَخ : نُزِل ونُبْطل .

2:106نَنْسَخْ : مَا نَنْسَخْ مِنْ آيَةٍ أَوْ نُنْسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا

22:52فَيَنْسَخُ : فَيَنْسَخُ اللَّهُ مَا يُلْقِي الشَّيْطَانُ ثُمَّ يُحْكِمُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ.

45:29نَسْتَنْسِخُ : إِنَّا كُنَّا نَسْتَنْسِخُ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ.

نسختها : أصلها المكتوب ، والمراد اللوح المحفوظ .

7:15نُسْخَتِهَا : وَفِي نُسْخَتِهَا هُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِرَبِّهِمْ يَرْهَبُونَ.

Readers must know that in Arabic, commonly a noun or a verb has three radical letters. But some nouns and verbs have four or five radical letters. However, many additional letters are added to them in usage.

A radical letter is that which remains intact through all the changes and derivations of the word. An additional letter is that which is subjected to changes in different forms and derivations, as is the case above.

The words, which have three radical letters, are called ath-thulathi (trilateral). Therefore, the occurrence of Naskh (abrogation) is related only to injunctions that are not eternal and are equal with regard to the possibility of their existence or non-existence.

Abrogation can never be taken to mean that Allaah commanded or prohibited something and then thought better of it and decided to cancel His former command. This is impossible because it involves attributing ignorance to Allaah (Allaah forbid). Also it is not possible for Allaah to command or prohibit something and then without any change in time, subject or conditions to abrogate His injunction since that would lead to attributing imperfection to Allaah. Allaah is FREE of any imperfection whatsoever.

What the Naskh/Mansookh (abrogation) signified is that Allaah knows that a certain injunction will remain valid for people up to certain time and then cease to be applicable. When that specific time is reached, a new command is sent which seems to either abrogate or change the former injunction but which, in fact, does nothing but mark the expiration of its validity. Since the former command did not have a specific period of validity attached to it, we take the new injunction as a cancellation of the former.

Example:

An employer might command one of his employees to do certain task with the intention of asking him to do some other task after one year, without, however, disclosing his intention to the employee. After the completion of the year, when employer ask the employee to do the other job, the employee might think that employer have changed or amended his orders, even though it is not the case, in fact, employer has not made any changes or amended his plans. Like all other changing phenomena around us, these apparent changes or amendments in the divine injunction are part of Divine Wisdom, whether we know its significance or not.

Therefore, the literal meaning of Naskh is replacement of one thing by another thing. Technical meaning from Islaamic point of view is “Lifting the Law of Shariah by reasons of Shariah رفع الحكم شرعى بدليل شرعى.”

That is why Allaah (SWT) says in Glorious Qur’aan 16:101:

وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آيَةً مَكَانَ آيَةٍ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُنَزِّلُ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُفْتَرٍ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

And when We change a Verse (of the Qur’ân,) in place of another - and Allâh knows best what He sends down - they (the disbelievers) say: "You (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) are but a Muftari! (Forger, liar)." Nay, but most of them know not.

"وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آيَة مَكَان آيَة"

بِنَسْخِهَا وَإِنْزَال غَيْرهَا لِمَصْلَحَةِ الْعِبَاد

"وَاَللَّه أَعْلَم بِمَا يُنَزِّل قَالُوا"

أَيْ الْكُفَّار لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

"إنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُفْتَرٍ"

كَذَّاب تَقُولهُ مِنْ عِنْدك

"بَلْ أَكْثَرهمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ"

حَقِيقَة الْقُرْآن وَفَائِدَة النَّسْخ

And if We happen to exchange a revelation, which has already, served its purpose for another revelation which is appropriate for the new circumstance, and Allah knows exactly what to reveal and when, they - the infidels - accuse you (O Muhammad) of forgery. Indeed most of them do not know the facts nor do they reflect.