Abrogation in the Qur'an

A claim about the Qur'an is that it contains abrogation of verses; that some verses were revealed by Allah only to be cancelled or replaced by later ones. If true, this would suggest an evolving Qur'an, raising doubts about its consistency and divine origin. Yet when read carefully in its own context, this idea can no longer be supported. The Qur'an does not describe its verses as temporary or replaceable. Instead, it presents itself as the final revelation, superseding all previous scriptures including the Torah and the Gospel, while affirming their original truths.

Replacing previous revelations

The verse most often cited in support of abrogation is when Allah says "We do not duplicate a sign, or make it forgotten, unless We bring one like it or greater...(2:106). This statement, which is often misunderstood as referring to internal cancellation of verses, is actually part of a response from Allah to the objections of Jews, Christians and polytheists who did not "...wish that any good comes down to you (Mohammed) from your Lord...(2:105). These people could not come to terms with the idea that Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) could have been chosen by Allah to receive His revelation.

Prior to the Qur'an, Allah's established method throughout history had been to send a scripture for a limited time only. This is clear to us when Allah says "...it was not for a messenger to come with any sign except with the permission of Allah; for each period there is a Book" (13:38), and the consequence of this is "...Allah erases and confirms what He wishes..." (13:39). These verses clearly demonstrate that new revelation is sent by Allah through a new messenger to succeed or abrogate a previous revelation. This method is not about verses cancelling themselves in the Qur'an.

However, this methodology came to an end with the revelation of the Qur'an when Allah declared the Qur'an "...is completed with truth and justice; there is no changing His words..." (6:115). This clarifies that divine revelation ended with Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) and there can be no more changing of Allah's words. Furthermore, this understanding also confirms the finality of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) as one of Allah's messenger as any subsequent messengers would have to come with a new revelation to supersede the Qur'an. We know this cannot be possible as Allah says "...it is We who have sent down the reminder, and it is for Us to preserve it" (15:9). 

 

Relation to earlier scriptures

The Qur'an also defines its role in relation to earlier scriptures. Allah says that He "sent down to you the Book with the truth, affirming what is between your hands of the Book and superseding it" (5:48). This follows the same pattern seen in the role of Jesus, who said he was "...affirming what is between my hands of the Torah, and to make permissible some of that which was made forbidden to you..." (3:50). The Qur'an therefore stands as the final and complete revelation, affirming all the previous scriptures in whole while superseding earlier laws where necessary.

Allah's words and His way

A distinction emerges between Allah's words and His way. His words revealed in the Qur'an are described as "...completed with truth and justice; there is no changing His words..." (6:115), and again "...there is no changing His words..." (18:27). At the same time, His way is described as fixed and "...you will not find any change in the way of Allah" (33:62). As already mentioned, Allah's way is to send messengers with scriptures suited to their time, each new revelation superseding the last. But once Allah's final word was revealed to Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), it became fixed and preserved for all times.

The Prophet's silence

If abrogation within the Qur'an truly existed, only Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) could have declared it. His silence is therefore decisive evidence against the claim. Only he, as the direct recipient of the revelation, could have known for certain which verses were meant to replace others. But there is no evidence of this either in the Qur'an or from any tradition outside the Qur'an.

This silence is not just an absence of evidence, but a theological necessity. Prophet Mohammed's (peace be upon him) role was to "...deliver what was sent down to you from your Lord, and if you do not then you have not delivered His message... (5:67). If a verse was meant to be temporary or superseded and this was part of the Qur'an, Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) would have been obligated to declare its cancellation to prevent the community from following a flawed or obsolete divine ruling. The lack of such evidence in the Qur'an to make any such declaration serves as conclusive proof that no internal abrogation was intended, maintaining the eternal relevance of every verse.

Later scholars, faced with apparent differences in legal rulings particularly when trying to uphold the divinity of the hadith, attempted to make up theories of abrogation to reconcile these differences. But because no hadith evidence supported their claims, they disagreed among themselves about which verses were abrogating and which were abrogated. This lack of consensus where some claim a handful verses were abrogated to others claiming hundreds of verses shows the true fallacy of this concept.  When combined with the silence of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), it shows that the concept of abrogation is a later scholarly invention and not actually anything taught by Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) himself.

Famous example of stoning

One of the most famous examples comes from the claim made in hadith literature that a verse about stoning for adultery was once part of the Qur'an but later eaten by a goat and thus was erased from the Qur'an. In their attempt to uphold the sanctity of the hadith, these scholars argued that the verse had been abrogated hence why it is no longer recited in the Qur'an but its ruling still stands due to it's existence in the hadith. By introducing abrogation in this way, they attempted to reconcile the absence of the stoning verse in the Qur'an with its presence in hadith but they just went ended up going against the Qur'an itself.

The Qur'an consistently describes itself as a complete and protected revelation and that "no falsehood could enter it, presently or afterwards..." (41:42). If a verse as significant as stoning had truly been part of the Qur'an, then only Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) could have declared its removal and yet no such evidence exists. Instead, later scholars introduced the idea of abrogation to defend the authority of hadith, even though the hadith themselves could not provide definitive proof of abrogation.

Another famous example used to support abrogation in the Qur'an is the concept of gradual prohibition of alcohol. This is addressed in our article here.

Divine challenge

The Qur'an also records the accusations made against Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) when earlier revelations were replaced by the Qur'an itself. Allah says "...if We exchange a revelation in place of another revelation; and Allah is more aware of what He is revealing; they say 'you are making this up!'" (16:101). Disbelievers claimed Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) was inventing the Qur'an or copying previous scriptures by being taught by a human teacher, but Allah responds to their claims by pointing out "...We are aware that they say, 'a mortal is teaching him.' The tongue of the one they refer to is non-Arabic, while this (Qur'an) is a clear Arabic tongue" (16:103).

In response, the Qur’an issues its famous challenge to those who doubt the revelation sent to Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him). The Qur'an states that "...if you are in doubt as to what We have sent down to Our servant, then bring a chapter like this..." (2:23) or "...they say, 'he has invented it!', Say, 'then bring ten invented chapters like it..." (11:13) or "let them produce a narrative like this, if they are truthful" (52:34).

Allah further establishes the Qur'an's perfection by stating "... if it was from any other than Allah they would have found in it a profound difference..." (4:82). This verse makes clear that contradictions are the characteristics of human authorship, and that only a divine text can remain internally consistent. Abrogation as a concept arises only when contradictions exist and require resolutions. Since the Qur'an is from Allah, contradictions do not exist in it and therefore abrogation is unnecessary and impossible. The Qur'an's challenge to humanity reinforces this point: its consistency itself is proof of its divine origin.

This challenge clearly demonstrates a fixed, complete text and not one subject to internal changes.

Conclusion

When examined carefully, the Qur'an does not teach that its verses cancel each other. The human made concept of abrogation arose later, as scholars tried to reconcile apparent differences in rulings, but it cannot be traced back to Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), nor is there any evidence for it in the hadith. Instead, the Qur'an consistently describes itself as complete, protected, and final with its words unchangeable, its message preserved, and its challenge to humanity enduring to this very day.