📢 NEW RESEARCH ARTICLE 📜 The five ‘abrogated’ verses: Evolution of the naskh (abrogation) theory in the Quran and its resolution in Ahmadiyya thought The Quran is considered by Muslims to be the final and universal law revealed by an All-Knowing God, which has been perfectly preserved and remains unchanged since its revelation to Prophet Muhammad (sa). Yet, whilst maintaining this belief, the majority of Muslim scholars throughout the ages have accepted that certain verses in the Quran were completely cancelled and replaced by others. They also believed that certain verses were revealed to the Prophet (sa) but are not included in the Quran we have today. The number of such “abrogated” verses varies drastically, but the higher end of these counts reaches into the hundreds and as much as 8% of the entire Quran.[1] Perhaps most striking is the claim that one single verse (the “Sword Verse”) abrogated a total of 124 verses in one clean strike.[2] The doctrine of abrogation (naskh), which gradually became a genre in its own right in the eighth century during the era of the tabi‘un (successors of the Companions), is one of the most contentious topics within the Quranic sciences. Scholars disagree on most aspects of the theory: the very definition of naskh, the methods of its application, and whether the theory is even valid in the context of the Quran. A minority of scholars even rejected this doctrine altogether, asserting that any perceived contradiction between two verses of the Quran can, and should, be explained and reconciled. Early evidence suggests that the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (sa) did not use the term naskh in the rigid, technical sense that later scholars developed – which is how most Muslims understand it today. Their usage was very fluid and figurative, and did not always connote complete cancellation. Over time, however, as the genre developed and tight technical definitions were formed, a dramatic inflation in the number of supposedly “abrogated” verses occurred. Three types of Quranic abrogation were eventually formalised: the verse is present in the Quran but its ruling has been abrogated and replaced; both the verse and its ruling have been abrogated and are not present in the Quran; and finally, the verse is not present in the Quran, but its ruling remains operative. The implications of this theory cannot be ignored. If parts of the Quran were permanently cancelled, in what sense can it be deemed perfectly preserved, eternally valid and universal? What is to be made of certain passages that were meant to be a part of the Quran but are not, irrespective of whether it was just the text of the verse, or both text and ruling, that were left out? Narrations of this nature suggest that roughly 10% of the Quran could have been lost.[3] For a believer in a preserved scripture, revealed by an All-Knowing God, such implications raise serious theological problems. Such challenges form the basis of this study. The historical evolution of the doctrine of abrogation, from its early usage to its later technical expansion and formalisation, is traced. The three types of abrogation are examined, after which a reconciliation and explanation of the five remaining “abrogated” verses as recognised by Shah Wali Allah (d. 1762) in his al-Fawz al-Kabir is presented in light of Ahmadiyya scholarship. Each pairing of “abrogated” and “abrogating” verses is independently discussed. The perceived count of abrogation has thus been brought down to zero, thereby rejecting the application of the abrogation theory to the Quran. Tap on the link in bio to read the full article 👆

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