What is the reason for the abrogation in the Quran?
Abrogation is one of the most controversial issues in Islam and it arose out of the misunderstanding of one particular verse in the Quran.
2:106 “None of our revelations(ayat) do we abrogate or cause it to be forgotten, but we substitute something better or similar; Knowest thou not that Allah hath power over all things?”
Tafsir scholars wrongly assumed that the “ayat” used in the above verse refer to individual verse in the Quran. Our first task is to understand what “ayat” (verse/revelation) means from the
Quran.45:3-4 “The heavens and the earth are full of signs (ayat) for the believers. Also in your creation, and the creation of all the animals, there are signs(ayat) for people who are certain”
Here it is quite obvious that the signs and wonders in God’s creation, in the organic and inorganic world, are ayats.The second meaning of ayat according to the
Qur’an45:6 “These are GOD's revelations (verses) that we recite to you truthfully. In which Hadith other than GOD and His revelations do they believe?”
And here ayats means individual verses of the Qur’an. The third meaning of ayat according to the Quran is
3:113 “They are not all the same; among the followers of the scripture, there are those who are righteous. They recite GOD's revelations (ayats) through the night, and they fall prostrate.
Among those three meanings of ayats, scholars of Tafsir chose to take the one that means individual verses of the Quran to apply to the issue of abrogation. But one can clearly understand by reading the verse preceeding it together with the one that mention the abrogation.
2:105-106 “It is never the wish of those without faith among the people of the book, nor of the pagans, that anything good should come down to you from your lord. But Allah will choose for his special mercy whom he will – for Allah is lord of grace abounding. None of our revelations (ayat) do we abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but we substitute something better or similar. Knowest thou not that Allah hath power over all things?”
We can see that it is on revelations, not individual verses or signs that God says he abrogate one with the other as he sent the Quran to abrogate and bring similar things from the previous scriptures, though unbelievers may not like that.
3:50 "I confirm previous scripture―the Torah―and I revoke certain prohibitions imposed upon you. I come to you with sufficient proof from your Lord. Therefore, you shall observe GOD, and obey me.
Jesus here is telling his people he had come to abrogate some part of the Torah (as we have seen in the New Testament John 8:4 where he abrogated the stoning of adulterers). In this system, previous scriptures are abrogated through new legislation by existing scripture.
Q13:38-39 “We did send messengers before thee and appointed for them wives and children; and it was never the part of a messenger to bring a sign (ayat) except as Allah permitted (or command). FOR EACH PERIOD IS A BOOK (Revealed). Allah doth abrogate or confirm what he pleaseth. With him is the mother of the book”
This beyond any shadow of doubt confirms that abrogation according to the Qur’an is not about individual verses but revelations. For further clarity on the subject God said
Q16:101 “When we substitute one revelation (ayat) for another – and Allah is fully aware of what he reveals, they say, "You made this up!" Indeed, most of them do not know”
Here it is the people of the book, upon hearing some new legislation of God from Muhammad, which happens to contradict what they possess, accused him of making it up. But as far the Qur’an is concerned there is no abrogation within it as another verse confirmed
18:27 “You shall recite what is revealed to you of your Lord's scripture (Quran). Nothing shall abrogate His words, and you shall not find any other source beside it”
Now let us go back into history. The issue of abrogation reared its ugly head immediately after the death of the prophet. As islam spread far and wide, many converts try to harmonize what they perceive as abrogation used to aske some of the Sahaba’s for clarity. For example Buhari reported a Hadith (Vol 6 No 114) reported by Ibn Jubair “The people of Kufah were disputing about (verse 4:93 that abrogates 25:68) I went to Ibn Abbas and asked then he said this verse “4:93 “Anyone who kills a believer on purpose, his retribution is Hell, wherein he abides forever..” was first revealed before that (25:68 “They never implore beside GOD any other god, nor do they kill any soul―for GOD has made life sacred―except in the course of justice. Nor do they commit adultery. Those who commit these offenses will have to pay”) and nothing has abrogated it”.This Hadith is a clear indication that leaned Sahabas do not belive in abrogation of the Quranic verses. But soon after the early Sahabas had passed away, perhaps out of ignorance on how to reconcile verses they do not understand, the Tabi’un began dwelling abrogation as the easy way out. In the hadith literature, a total of 24 hadiths were reported on abrogation in which Buhari reported 13, Muslim 4, Muwatta 3 and Tirmidhi and Fiqh-us-sunnah 2 apiece. And in none of those 24 hadiths was reported where a Sahaba asked the prophet about abrogation, which clearly confirmed that in his time the issue was non-existencey. In the first few centuries of Islam there were about 500 verses said to be abrogated and in the 10th century an Islamic scholar, Hibbatullah claimed there were 237 verse abrogated from the Quran (almost the entire length of Baqara). But in the 16th Century Imam Suyudi said there were only 20 verses and in the 20th Century only 5 were reported by Shah Waliyullah. We can see that from 500 down to 5, people had been reconciling facts to realize that no verse abrogate another. Let us examine some of those five remaining:
1.QIBLA – In the beginning of the prophet ministry, they faced Jerusalem when praying and there was this verse below before the command to change towards mecca came
2:115 “To GOD belongs the east and the west; wherever you go there will be the presence of GOD. GOD is Omnipresent, Omniscient”And when this verse was revealed
Q2:144 “…Henceforth, you shall turn your face towards the Sacred Masjid. Wherever you may be, all of you shall turn your faces towards it”
It is now said the latter verse had abrogated the former. But wait a minute does the command to face Ka’aba in any way rendered the claim to God belong the east and west and he is everywhere? Not at all and to buttress that point God commands in
Q2:239 “If you fear (any unusual circumstance) pray on foot or riding (as may be most convenient) but when you are in security, celebrate Allah’s praise in manners he has taught you, which you knew not (before)”
This verse validates the one alleged to have been abrogated as the command herein was: one could pray walking or riding, if one is under an unusual circumstance like war, travel etc. and could pray facing whatever the direction he is going or his transport is taking him, unminding the Qibla, until when one is out of that situation so can revert to the normal way.
2.HOMOSEXUALITY AND LESBIANISMThe abrogationists claim that the punishment for Homosexuality and Lesbianism were abrogated by the punishment of Adultery. God in the Quran claimsQ6:38 “…Nothing have we omitted from the book”Thus the punishment for two unnatural acts were prescribed in the Qur’an in
Q4:15 “If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, take the evidence of four (reliable)witnesses from amongs you against them. And if they testify, confine them to house until death do claim them or God ordain for them some other way”
Women convicted of lesbianism, upon credible witnesses, should be sent to prison for life but if they repent and agree to marry they could be freed. As for homosexual
Q4:16 “If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and amend, leave them alone. For God is oft-returning Most Merciful”
Likewise men guilty of homosexuality, established by four witness and convicted by court should serve a lifetime imprisonment like the lesbians but if they repent never to go back to it should be freed. That is God’s decree but scholars were saying that verse 2 of chapter 24 had abrogated those two verses and the punishment should be as that of adultery. The greater riddle is, the punishment for adultery after testimony of four witness according to God in that chapter was 100 lashes but the same scholars turn around and say it is stoning to death for married victims. There is nowhere in the Quran God mention stoning as a punishment.3.Waiting period after divorce is another issue where we see abrogated verse.
Q2:240 “Those of you who died and leave widows should bequeath for their widos a years maintenance and residence. But if they leave the residence there is no blame on you for what they do with themselves provided it is reasonable”
Widows should be given residence and upkeep from their deceased husband’s wealth forup to a year out of magnanimity but if they chose to leave on their own and live elsewhereit is fine.But the above verse was said to be abrogated by
Q4:12 “In what your wives leave, your share is half, if they leave no child. But if they leave child, you get a fourth, after payment of legacies and debts”
Nothing in this verse abrogate the former because it was encouraging taking care of widows as men are encouraged to write in their wills the provisions for accommodating the widow in the house and taking care of her for a year outside her inheritance. The widow had great loss and needs time to grieve and recompose herself before she could marry again.These are some of the remaining verses out of the initial 500 categorized as abrogated. And we can see how misunderstanding led to the issue of abrogation. All the verses in the Quran are reconcilable.Besides no record shows the prophet talking about abrogated verses. In Bukhari Volume 6 Book 60 No. 53 Az-Zubair Narrated:I said to Uthman Bn Affan (while he was collecting the Quran) regarding the verse: “Those of you who die and leave wives…” (2:240) This verse was abrogated by another verse (4:12). So why should you write it? (or leave it in the Quran?) Uthman said “O son of my brother! I will not shift anything of it from its place”It is a logical question posed by Az-Zubair to Uthman, if the verse is really abrogated why should it be included in the Quran. In other words he is saying the verse is no longer functional and should be discarded if so. Uthman responded by not saying it is indeed abrogated but he cannot change what was revealed as God indeed taught them
Q18:27 “And recite (and teach) what has been revealed to thee of the book of thy lord: None can change his words and none will you find as a refuge other than him”
Besides what kind of a God, could, in a space of 23 years be abrogating one verse with another? Does that sound like the omniscient God of the Quran?
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