INCEIF

THE GLOBAL UNIVERSITY IN ISLAMIC FINANCE

PHD PROGRAM IN ISLAMIC FINANCE

ABROGATION AND IT’S CONTINUED RELEVANCE TO

CONTEMPORARY MUSLIM SOCIETY

ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE AND LEGAL MAXIMS

SEMESTER SEPT 2009

Name: Ariffhidayat Ali

Matric No: 0900320

 ABSTRACT

The Al-Quran reveals inasmuch as it hides. Through it Allah engages

Mankind. It is a road map for the eventual return to Heaven for man. Allah
has gifted us with various religions, prophets arming them with revelations
till Islam. This paper discusses abrogation in light of the above condition.

This condition did not lead to mutual agreement pertaining abrogation

among Muslims, between Muslims and Non-Muslims. This paper outlines the
various factors leading to this. Factors can be external or internal to man.
External factors are wide ranging referring to time, location,
socio-economic development, institutional, political and religious
dimensions (list not exhaustive). Internal factors are related to our
physical, mental and spiritual faculties. These surfaces when terms like
reason, emotions, beliefs etc are discussed. This distinction is artificial since
man affect and is affected by the external.

Understanding Islamic history is a prerequisite of understanding abrogation.

Historical events may be classified as in various ways. For simplicity we look
at it as pre-Islamic times, within the lifetime of the Prophet s.a.w. and post
the rule of his Four Companions till the present. It is a history of the rise
and fall of a civilization much caused by disunity and declining values.

This paper opine that abrogation was researched upon by Muslims scholars
for various reasons first being the desire to understanding the Gift of Islam
and exemplifies the hunger for knowledge. Others discussed abrogation as
part of the larger struggles over the Sunnah of the Prophet s.a.w in terms of
determining the reliability and applicability of the Sunnah.
Others looked at it more in depth as it is seemed as an important area in

(i)
Usul-Fiqh which in itself lays the foundation of legal decision making.
Others meanwhile denied that abrogation ever took place and re-interpreted
the doctrine in other terms. The above reasons can be seen internal to
Islam.

Others took interests in abrogation by virtue of it becoming a weapon to

undermine Islam especially by other religions but predominantly
Christianity. This arose when Islam became a credible threat to Christian
hegemony. This “cold war” remains to the present day fought from both
positions of strength and weaknesses. The arguments of both sides are
reviewed and traced back to the root of the disagreement.

The author concludes abrogation is not a divisive issue and remained a

matter for intellectual discourse throughout history. However it is preferable
that it be known to larger Muslim audience (in whatever form we
conceived it should be) since it is a part of our heritage. Taking
abrogation as being only related to Usul-Fiqh which drives the formulation
of legal position in Islamic law is valid although we need to be mindful since
it is discussed by the non-Muslims in the context of the legitimacy of the Al-
Quran and the Sunnah. To apply the language of strategic management
this refers to the difference between strategic plans and tactical plans. For
non-Muslims rejecting Islam generating mischief over abrogation is a
Strategic imperative. Thus it’s continuing relevance.

KEY TERMS: - Al-Quran, Sunnah, Reality, Natural State, Lawgiver,

External factors, internal factors, Islamic History, Usul-fiqh, Abrogation,
World-View, Reason

(ii)
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pages
Abstract (i) – (ii)

Part 1:- The Essence

a) The Essence of Islam 1
b) The Essence of the Lawgiver 2
c) The Essence of Man 3
Part 2:- Time Setting Namely Before 610 AC (Pre-Islam) 4
Part 3:- Abrogation as a Subject Matter
a) The Doctrine of Abrogation (Naskh) 5
b) Other Aspects Associated With Abrogation 6
Part 4:- Time Setting Namely Between 632 A.C. – 661 A.C. 7
(Abu Bakar – Ali Ibn Talib)
Part 5: - Time Setting Namely Between 661 A.C. – 820 A.C. 9
(Ali Ibn Talib – Imam Shafii)
Part 6: - The Clash of Civilizations
a) The Enemies of Islam (The Quraish of Mekah) 12
b) The Enemies of Islam (The Christian, the Jews and Others) 13
Part 7: - In Defence of Abrogation 15
Part 8:- Conclusion 21
Bibliography 22
Attachment File://P:\Map_Expansion.gif
Other reading materials 24

Important Note:- All Quranic quotes are denoted by Q followed No.

(Surah) and No. (Ayah). Example Q 2 -36 means Al-Baqarah Ayah 36
PART 1:- THE ESSENCE

a) The Essence of Islam

From Dictionary.com religion is defined as a set of beliefs concerning the

cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the
creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional
and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the
conduct of human affairs. This definition encompasses the present
day acceptance on how religion is defined. Throughout history, the source
of religion can be traced to the ideas of natural and the supernatural. Islam
is to be as a product of the supernatural realm namely to be classified as a
revealed religion much like Christianity and Judaism. This is to be
contrasted to natural religion developed by human beings usually by their
own observance of the natural environment and by the exercise of reason.
Islam is then the revelation of Allah to the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w via
the Angel Gabriel. These revelations culminated in what is to become
known as the Quran which means “ The Recital” as cited by Dawood
(1990). The above suffice if we to explain Islam as a new religion revealed to
the prophet nevertheless Allah as the Supreme Being has revealed the
religion to mankind prior to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. The two approaches
mentioned above has relevance to the discussion on abrogation.

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b) The Essence Of The Lawgiver

Western legal tradition be it the Continental or the Anglo-Saxon if we use

the Arabic word “usul” or “root” often denotes such concepts such as laws of
nature, inalienable rights of man, the Social Contract, (l)egitimacy,
(a)uthority and (s)overeignty. All these can be traced Greco-Roman
influences of Plato, Aristotle and Cicero. Islam meanwhile traces all of the
above to Allah.

Q 2-117. To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the
earth(120): When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: "Be," and it is.

Q 59-24. He is Allah, the Creator,(5405) the Evolver, the B e s t o w e r o f

F o r m s ( 5 4 0 6 ) ( o r C o l o u r s ) . T o H i m belong(5407) the Most Beautiful
Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His
Praises and Glory:(5408) and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

The two ayahs above reveals Allah is the Creator and has the ultimate
(l)egitimacy, (a)uthority and (s)overeignty over the laws that is revealed to
Man. Grouping the (l), (a) and (s) under the simple term of Power and
applying human logic to it, the Power over the creation of laws also renders
Allah the ability to abrogate laws. In supporting the doctrine of abrogation
the following two ayahs have been employed by most Muslim scholar.

Q 2-106. None of Our revelations(107) 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?

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Q 16-101. When We substitute one revelation(2140) for another,- and
Allah knows best what He reveals (in stages),- they say, "Thou art
but a forger": but most of them understand not.

The essence of the Allah was revealed in the Al-Quran, some clear and
allegorical in presentations, in meaning, obvious, hidden, multiple in
translations and many other features only known to Allah. For example Al
Baqarah 2-106 was revealed in Madinah whilst Al-Nahl 16-101 was revealed
in Mekah and to be read in the context of time/location. Pertaining
abrogation this serves as Allah giving a “sign” of Allah’s capacity to abrogate
existing laws and provide laws applicable to present and future use.

This has bearing in the abrogation debate since there are scholars who are
of the opinion nothing was abrogated in the Quran. A middle ground is
stated here, if Allah did not abrogate as such, Allah certainly had the
capacity to abrogate.

c) The Essence of Man

Q 2-36. Then did Satan (52) make them slip from the (garden), and
get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. We said:
"Get ye down, all (ye people (53)), with enmity between yourselves.
On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood(54)
for a time."

Western philosophy often discusses Man in the following light. Hobbes

(1651) – summed man up as predominantly an aggressive creature needing
the Leviathan (King) to bring social order. Rousseau (1762) summed man
up as a gentle creature in isolation however exposure to others necessitates

3
the rule of Law. The above are effects which is cause by the application of
Reason. In Islam the natural state has not been discussed in depth in
relations to body politics apart from contributions from the likes of Al-
Farabi. Islam discusses nature in terms of our eventual return to Allah
represented by Q 2-36 above. Thus our natural State is not of this earth. We
have been given time by Allah, to train ourselves, to work towards getting
the ticket back to felicity (happiness). The concepts of Abdullah (servant of
Allah) and Vicegerent (Khalifah) are derivatives of the above. Man perception
of reality is in itself a derivative. The perception impacts our understanding
namely the perceived may not be the actual. Plato (360 B.C) pointed this
very succinctly via the Parable of the Cave which serves as the foundation to
the Theory of Forms (Ideas). In the Republic, actual reality, actual meaning
is known to the Philosopher. In Islam this is only known to Allah. If man
appreciates, in the context of abrogation, the position that we take is mere
shadows of the true form. This fundamental weakness in Reason must be
recognized. However the gift of free will does not deny man to be active or
inactive in determining his actions or inactions. This gift however comes
with the sceptre of accountability (“there is no free lunch”).

PART 2:- TIME SETTING NAMELY BEFORE 610 AC (PRE-ISLAM)

Muhammad s.a.w as a prophet is seen disconnected from previous prophets
of Allah as in being an Arab compared to previous prophets who preached
mostly to the Jews, “the chosen people”. This is however an artificial divide
since he is a prophet for all races and mankind. Artificial as it may be seen
it is still a given fact that he came bringing the message over 600 years after
Jesus or Isa a.s. into an Arab environment. Hourani (1991) pointed out, the
two dominant powers were the Christian Byzantine empire and the
Sasanian empire embracing Zoroastrianism as religion. A relative distance
away was the Arabian Peninsular which remain outside direct control of the

4
two empires nonetheless near enough to be exposed to the influences of
Christianity, Judaism and other forms of pagan religions. Mekah was then a
crossroad i.e. meeting points of traders and also other visitors who came to
pay homage to the “Kaaba” built by Abraham and Ishmael. Meccan society
can be summarized as being in the Dark Ages where worship of various
deities was prominent, abominable practices subsequently outlawed under
Islam was practiced, tribal in nature and economically “well-off”.
Nonetheless there were still “People of the Book” who believe of the coming
of a new prophet. Another prevalent during the time was the appreciation of
the language associated with poetry which was verbal as opposed to written
in nature.

PART 3:- ABROGATION AS A SUBJECT MATTER

a) The Doctrine Of Abrogation (Naskh)
Abrogation has been defined in the following.
According to Khan Nyazee (2006):-
The literal meaning of naskh is cancelling or transferring whilst its technical
sense it is used to mean the “lifting (raf’) of a legal rule through a legal
evidence of a later date.”
According to Hashim Kamali (2005):-
Abrogation is defined as he removal or suspension of one Sharia’ ruling by
Another, provided that the latter is of a subsequent origin and the two
rulings are enacted separately from one another.
According to http://www.islamweb.net:-
al-Naskh, i.e. abrogation or repeal, has two meanings in Arabic:
transformation and shifting from one place to another, and cancellation and
repealIn technical terms, al-Naskh means to cancel and abrogate some fixed
Shari'a rulings and to replace them with new rulings and orders.

5
The above addresses abrogation in terms of changes made to the prevailing
laws via commands or decrees of the Lawgiver directly and brought into
knowledge and application by Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Whether this is
sufficient to render full meaning to the term has been questioned.
Abrogation as a doctrine is seen as being exclusive to Islam whilst not
clearly evidence in Christianity and Judaism.
b) Other Aspects Associated With Abrogation

A list has been compiled below:-

• Naskh – the abrogating text or evidence
• Mansukh – the abrogated text or repealed rule
• Al-Nasikh wal-Mansukh – the abrogating and abrogated (verses)
• Naskh (kulli) – which is total namely lifting the entire law and
substituting for it another law
• Naskh (juz’i) when the law is repealed for a certain class alone.
• Naskh must be distinguish from takhsis (restriction) and tazid
(addition)
• The abrogating evidence to be of equal strength to the abrogated
evidence. To be discussed within in relation to the Quran, Mutawatir
Sunnah and Khabar Wahid.
• The use of Rules of Preference (Tarjih) and Reconciliation (Jam’)
• Three modes of naskh
 naskh al-hukm dūna al-tilāwa: abrogation of the ruling
but not the wording, or supersession. A regulation-
embodied within either a Qur'ānic verse or a hadith
report- is replaced but its wording remains- in the former
case, as text within the mushaf.
 naskh al-hukm wa-'l-tilāwa: abrogation of both ruling and
wording, or suppression/erasure. Applicable only to the
Qur'ān. A ruling is voided and its text omitted from the
mushaf. Evidence that the verse ever existed is preserved
only within tradition.
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  naskh al-tilāwa dūna al-hukm: abrogation of the wording
but not the ruling. Again, applicable only to the Qur'ān.
The text of a still-functional ruling is omitted from the
mushaf. Proof of the verse's existence is preserved within
tradition (i.e through a hadith report) as well as in the
Fiqh.
• In Hadith an explicit abrogation entails the saying of the Prophet
himself
• In Hadith abrogation may also be known from the saying of a
Companion
• In Hadith abrogation may also be known from historical or
chronological sequence of events
• In Hadith abrogation may also be known through general consensus
(ijma’)
• Time frame relevant to abrogation – 23 years
• Unity prevailed in Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet s.a.w
• Ijtihad exercised in discussion (Post Prophet s.a.w and the Four
Companions). (technical vs literal definition)

PART 4:- TIME SETTING: NAMELY BETWEEN 632 A.C. – 661 A.C. (ABU
BAKAR – ALI IBN TALIB)

Hart (1992) proclaimed that the Prophet s.a.w as being the most
influential person in history. In a period of 23 years he has build a legacy
that survives till this day. The Prophet s.a.w died in 632 A.C. and left no
male heir and did not leave behind a named successor. This is divine will
since we cannot speculate if he had a male heir/s what will the shape of
Islam today.
7
The highlights of this period that framed the future of abrogation are as
follows and divided into:
Mainstream
i) The continued growth in territory, population and knowledge;
the extend of expansion if represented by attachment
(Map_Expansion)
ii) Ijtihad of the Four Companions recognized and deference to
leadership maintained;
iii) Collation of the Quran and the accepted Mushaf of Usman;
iv) Proliferation of Sunnah (Hadith) by the Companions;
v) The incidences of wars fought for various reasons grew (Jihad)
and recognition of Islam as a credible threat to Christian
hegemony;
Underlying
i) Rising disunity, growth in splinter groups;
ii) The growth of Non Arabs embracing the religion, the treatment of
Non Muslims in Muslim conquered territories;
iii) Wealth and economic growth.

Within the context of Ijtihad, the four Caliphs made changes to certain
practices such as Abu Bakar (declared war on zakat evaders, false prophets)
Umar (suspending Hudud for thieves during time of famine).These acts
exceeded/curtailed the earlier mandate stipulated in the Quran and in the
Sunnah. This was never viewed in Muslim circles as abrogation but more so
about implementing new measures by interpreting existing laws. Within
such the unity and deference to leadership is to be emphasized. Umar
deferred to the judgement of Abu Bakar. Ali accepted the mushaf of Uthman
although he kept his own mushaf.

8
PART FIVE: - TIME SETTING WHICH IS POST ALI IBN TALIB – IMAM
SHAFII (661 A.C. – 820 A.C.)

The mainstream – underlying are subject to change and the above period
personified this. Politically this period is summed up in the Umayyad
Caliphs (661 A.C. – 750 A.C.) and Abbasid Caliphs (750 A.C. – 1258 A.C.).
During this period the disunity became more pronounced (proliferation in
sects namely Shiites, Kharijites, Muktazilah etc) the quality of caliphs ebbed
and flowed, the expansion nonetheless continued in spite of the failed
conquest of Western Europe in 732 A.C, civil war became part of Islamic
history. Religiously the baton was passed from the Companions to the four
founders of the Sunni sect listed below.

Founders of Sunni Sect

1. Imam Malik – Maliki school (circa 711 - 795). Locality Madinah.
2. Imam Abu Hanifa – Hanafi school (circa 699 - 765). Locality Iraq.
3. Imam Shafii – Shafii school (circa 767 – 820). Locality (various)
4. Imam Hambali – Hambali school (circa 780 – 855). Locality (Baghdad
although he also travelled extensively)

Abrogation again did not take centre stage during this period. Khan Nyazee
(2006) held that there is unanimous acceptance of abrogation among the
four Sunni schools although in details there were differences. We
view this in the context of form versus substance. Again unity prevailed,
example Imam Malik did not propagate Al-Muwatta to be utilized as a
compulsory and implemented as law. Whilst not taking centre stage, it
remains a part player in the great struggle over the Hadith of the
Prophet s.a.w.

9
This struggle is summarized into the following:-
i) Opposing parties in the Sunni-Shiite debate used the Hadith to
advance their cause;
ii) Hadith was subjected to fabrication by both anti-Islam and pro-Islam
groups in order to advance their cause;
iii) Due to the fabrication, scholars especially of the school of the Al-Ray’
mainly of the Hanafi persuasion were keen to use “reason” rather
than rely on any one Hadith where they deemed weak in its Isnad’
(Chain of transmitters);
iv) Persecution of religious scholars by rulers resulted in some scholars
either “towing the official line” or not compromising
v) All the above made the legacy of the Prophet s.a.w seen trivial and
also weaken the legal foundation of existing laws and giving room for
arbitrary new laws

Imam Shafii took keen interest on abrogation and sort to provide clarity on
this in books he authored such as his Contradictory Hadith (Ikhtilaf al-
Hadith) and Treatise (on Jurisprudence) (al-Risala’) which is geared
primarily to defend primacy of the Hadith second only to the Al Quran as
the source of Islamic law. He outlined that the Al Quran and Sunnah were
subjected to abrogation, and laid down the relevant ground rules pertaining
abrogation. More importantly was his contribution in defending the Sunnah
of the Prophet s.a.w, he elevated usul-al-fiqh giving it a scientific treatment
with reference to applicable methodologies to be applied in arriving at legal
decision. This desire to ensure sound methodology made him critical of the
approaches taken by both Imam Malik and the School of Al’ Ray. He sort the

10
middle ground. Imam Malik was a traditionalist by virtue of being of earlier
time and having lived in Madinah. In this environment the challenges faced
by Imam Malik in formulating his positions was not insurmountable to
perhaps the times of Imam Shafii or the location of the School of Al’ Ray.
Thus the Shafii critique of Imam Maliki was its simplicity in formulating a
position without comprehensive coverage of the Sunnah. Siddiqi (2006)
mentioned the Muwatta as part collection of Hadith and part a treatise on
fiqh. His critique of the Al’ Ray is the heavy reliance on Reason, questioning
the Hadith reliability in light of the increasing proliferation of so call “weak”
Hadith as well as the more serious issue of “forged” Hadith. The issue of
“forged” Hadith is deemed serious, Siddiqi (2006) traces it backed to the
times of the Prophet s.a.w himself. On “ihtihsan” i.e. juristic preference,
Imam Shafii rejected its usage outright.

The above mentioned Imam Shafii interest in giving Usul Fiqh a scientific
foundation was that the Sunnah was being subjected to manipulation and it
risk misunderstanding by Muslims. Some favoured relying only on the
Quran which was rejected by Shafii. The author postulate the additional
points:-
i) It points to the genius of Imam Shafii that he relied on the
Hadith themselves to defend his position. Reason being that the
Hadith themselves were to a large extent have been written down.
Thus his arguments were not only his but grounded on earlier
evidence. He approached the matter much like a lawyer going through
existing case laws to arrive at his legal position. Knowledge of
abrogation was needed to essentially compare cases that may have the
affect of abrogating other cases.
ii) Since the defence uses Hadith, shifting through the evidence is
important.

11
iii) His critique of the Maliki school and the School of Al-Ray’ is to be seen
in the context of ijtihad, since one can be questioned whether oneself
applied either too little or too much ijtihad. IIjtihad is never
independent of the two sources of Islamic law. The modern equivalent
of such is the term “re-inventing the wheel”. The Imam perhaps was
concerned the Muslims neglect the existing blueprint of the wheel and
unnecessarily expanding effort in areas which has been dealt with
earlier and coming to the wrong conclusions.

iv) The Four Imams of the Sunni persuasion were at one point or another
persecuted by the rulers i.e. politicians of their time. This is an
aberration that featured after the Four Companions. Defending the
Sunnah, and doing it writing he wanted to make contemporaries able
to compare real laws to be abided against the arbitrary laws. Hence
the modern idiom that the “pen is mightier than the sword”.

v) This approach elevated back the importance of the Sunnah and this to
a large extent was accepted by the School of Al’ Ray. He also
influenced Imam Ahmad Ibn Hambal who was very diligent in
ensuring Hadith remaining the fundamental source of law next to the
Al-Quran. This shows profound influence of Imam Shafii.

PART 6:- THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS

Huntington (1996) on the clash only seeks to reemphasize that history is

cyclical in nature. Present trends can be traced to previous events and only
seeks to emphasize that understanding history and applying the lessons as
critical.

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a) The Enemies of Islam (The Quraish of Mekah)

Opponents of Islam are varied in their opposition to Islam. The initial

resistance came from the Quraish themselves who saw the religion as a
religion that will destroy the dominant position they held in Mekah. Islam
preached the concept of one single entity to be worshipped. This went
against their pagan belief. Pagan rituals with implements such as idols and
other relics is economically rewarding in terms of the number of festivities,
the number of pagan implements required at each. Besides Mekah was still
attracting pilgrims, it was also a meeting place of traders and thus the
economic benefit to remain in power sealed the hearts of some Quraish to
the call of the Prophet s.a.w. Besides they were unable to accept the
relatively humble stature of the Prophet s.aw. who was illiterate (thus he
was known as the Unlettered Prophet). The other messages of Islam
condemned their existing practices so a fear of the unknown, of change and
losing of dominant political and economic position made them resist the
salvation offered. It is an established fact that the early converts to Islam
were most economically and politically challenged as opposed to the later
converts.

b) The Enemies of Islam (The Christian, the Jews and Others)

For this purpose and especially pertaining to abrogation, we should discount

the Jews as being outwardly hostile to Islam. It can be argued that the
Jews is to be seen more as a race rather than a religion. At the same time,
the Jews were a race scattered with small pockets living amidst the larger
Gentile population. Thus the hunger for a Jewish homeland is not a 19th or
20th century phenomenon but a psyche that has pervaded the Jewish mind
for a long time. However on a religious level, Islam is still at odds with
13
Judaism since Judaism can be considered a racially bias religion. To be
confronted by a Gentile preaching equality of mankind is not tremendously
comforting. The same was preached to them 600 years before by one of their
own kind, Isa a.s. This universal appeal to mankind is seen as strong traits
in Islam and Christianity till the present day.

The corruption of the religion and particularly the issue of the divinity of
Christ were pointed out in the Al-Quran. Thus we come to the position of
certain scholars that abrogation in the Quran is actually the abrogation of
the earlier mandates by Allah namely Islam being the final religion is the
Naskh (abrogating) and Christianity and the other religions is the Mansukh
(abrogated) and ceases to be the lawful practice in the judgement of Allah.
This is supported by reference to 2-106, where Allah chose to replace
something by something “better”. Scholars points out that there is no
“ayahs” in the Al-Quran that is superior or better than another “ayah”. This
expanded the meaning and coverage of the term abrogation to include not
only “laws” in the strictest meaning but also to the “belief” system. Al-Quran
is not only a legal text but also a historical correction and Allah’s retort to
mankind who subverted the gift that was Christianity. On a religious front,
Islam can be viewed a “dogmatic” challenge namely on the perceived the
divinity of Jesus Christ but on an essentially “earthly” basis Islam
challenged Christianity politically and economically. Thus we introduced the
notion of “institutionalized religion” that is descriptive of Christianity.
Spiritually the priesthood became the intermediaries for Christians
searching for salvation and it cloaked itself around the “divinity of Christ” as
well as the “doctrine of the original sin”
14
This control to the “gates of Heaven” gave the priesthood special positions,
the Church affected the shape of European and world history till today. It
also had significant economic power in terms of the amount of economic
resources it had. That was to become the main contributing factor for the
Crusades and not with regards to actually guaranteeing the freedom of
worship in the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

To accept the statements in the Al-Quran in the eyes of Christianity was to

spelt the end of Christianity in itself and thus the need to attack the
legitimacy of the Islam as a religion. Since Allah cannot be attacked directly,
the two earthly signs of his divine will are the Al-Quran and the Prophet
s.a.w. Thus challenging the legitimacy is to utilize perceived contradictions,
matters that logically cannot be explained, distinguishing the literal,
technical, allegorical meanings and also character assassinating the Prophet
of Islam. The West have also claimed as to the objectivity of Science and
the test of Science was applied to the Al-Quran and Sunnah however this
application is shrouded in “bias and prejudice” derived from the accepted
Western and Christian worldview.

There are some Muslims that have excluded worldly issues namely the
“muamalat” aspects of this life. The above have intimated that “muamalat”
or control of the economic destiny is critical thus we should object to the
separation of Economics and Islam as a religion. The separation of “politics”
as secular and “religion” is another trap that needs avoiding. The final trap
is to frame “knowledge” in Western nomenclature.

15
Common thrusts of the attacks as follows:-

i) Allah forgets and changes position, this is not consistent with the
attributes of God.
ii)) Verses contradicts and abrogates each other, the violent “verses” e.g.
Verses of the Sword override the verses that outlines peace and
brotherhood. Some verses being considered superior to others
iii) The prophet was of dubious character and authored the Al-Quran
iv) There were missing verses in the Al-Quran, some said due to the
conflict developing during the reign of Four Companions.
v) Applying the conduct of some to the whole religion. Illustrated in
such, the terrorist is Muslim, all Muslims are terrorists, thus Islam
permits terrorism

PART 7:- IN DEFENCE OF ABROGATION

Ideas can only be defeated by ideas, thus the response from Muslims over
Time as follows:-

a) Time and Opportunity

Q 2-34. And behold, We said to the angels: "Bow down to Adam" and
they bowed down. Not so Iblis(49): he refused and was haughty: He
was of those who reject Faith.

Q 2-36. Then did Satan(52) make them slip from the (garden), and
get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. We said:
"Get ye down, all (ye people(53)), with enmity between yourselves.
O n earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood(54)
for a time."
16
Both the above ayahs points to man holding a special place according to
Allah, banishment to Earth for a short time and to be seen as an
opportunity for mankind to redeem himself . As yet as time passes, Allah
grace through previous prophets have grown unheeded by mankind thus
necessitating Allah’s last messenger. The new prophet was to be equipped
with a book namely the Quran that Allah guarantees that will not be
subject to corruption.

Abrogation can be seen as a way Allah grant favour to mankind in granting

the early Muslims a certain passage of time to accept Allah’s future decrees.
Earlier it was mentioned that the Arabs prior to the coming of the Prophet
s.aw. were in the Dark Ages in terms of their beliefs and practices.
Abrogation seen in this manner entitles mankind the ability to exercise the
gift of free will and his own faculty of reason without the sense of
compulsion. This also points to Allah ever wanting to relief hardship for
mankind.

Example of the above is the prohibition of consuming alcohol in Islam:-

Q 4-43 O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged,(562)
until ye can understand all that ye say,- nor in a state of ceremonial
impurity
Q 2-19 They ask thee concerning wine(240) and gambling(241). Say: "In
them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than
the profit." They ask thee how much they are to spend; Say: "What is
beyond (242) your needs." Thus doth Allah Make clear to you His Signs: In
order that ye may consider
Q 5-90 O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling,(793) (de dic a ti on
of) stones,(794) and (divination by) arrows,(795) are an
a b o m i n a t i o n , - o f S a t a n ' s handwork: eschew such (abomination), that
ye may prosper
17
b) Indicating Sense Of Purpose And Direction

Abrogation also serves such purposes namely the recognition of

the establishment of an Ummah, Arabic at that point in time
nevertheless universal in its appeal. Thus the shift of Qiblat for
prayers from Jerusalem back to the Kaabah of Abraham and Ishmael.
Jerusalem at that time was under the control of the Christian
Byzantine Empire which has less symbolism compared to Mekah.

Q 2-142. The fools among the people(140) will say: "What hath turned
them from the Qiblah(141) to which they were used?" Say: To Allah
belong both east and West: He guideth whom He will to a Way that is
straight.
Q 2-143 Thus(142), have We made of you an Ummat justly
Balanced (143), that ye might be witnesses (144) over t h e n a t i o n s ,
a n d t h e M e s s e n g e r a w i t n e s s o v e r yourselves; and We appointed the
Qibla to which thou wast used, only to test those who followed the
Messenger from those who would turn on their heels(145) (From
the Faith). Indeed it was (A change) momentous, except to those
guided b y Allah. And never would Allah Make your faith of no
effect(146). For Allah is to all people Most surely full of kindness, Most
Merciful.
Q 2-144 We see the turning of thy face (for guidance) To the heavens(147):
now Shall We turn thee to a Qiblah that shall please thee. Turn then
Thy face in the direction of the sacred Mosque(148): Wherever ye are,
turn your faces in that direction. The people of the Book(149)
know well that that is the truth from their Lord. Nor is Allah
unmindful of what they do.

18
Indeed the first action of the Prophet upon his return to Mekah was to
clean the Kaabah of its pagan idols. The other significance pertaining
the revelation is that it was revealed in Madinah which personifies
much of the nation and institutional building that took place (Quran
Madani) as compared to the Quran Makki revelations oriented to
rebuilding the soul of the new converts to Islam.

c) Indicating The Need Of Awareness And Change

Abrogation is seen as part and parcel of the progressive revelation to the

Prophet s.a.w. Certain revelations are in itself responses to the environment
facing Muslims in Madinah namely the challenged posed by the Hypocrites
(Munafik). Al-Baqarah 2.217 and Al Tawbah 9.61-9.70, 9.73-110, 9.84,
9.913 are the prime example. Other progressive revelation arises out of
questions posed to the Prophet s.a.w. where Allah deemed fit to provide
answers to. In essence abrogation is seen as a positive doctrine and there
are other purposes that were well served.

d) Indicating The Need To Apply Reason And Heed The Signs

The earlier three rationales were applicable to the early but the above is
timeless. The Quran is to serve as a guidebook for Muslims till Qiamah
whilst at the same time following the examples as laid down by the Prophet.
Nevertheless some Muslims have fallen into the trap of selective
interpretation and applications of the lessons. Much of our present
predicament results from this.

19
To illustrate the following questions are asked of the reader?

1. Why change or reemphasize something if it is not important?

2. Why complicate early Muslim life with such pronouncements?
3. Why open the door to attack from within and the outside?

This rationale is to be supported by such:-

1. Dangers of alcoholism remains to the present with new forms of

intoxicants being introduced from time to time
2. The rampant cases of “adultery” leading to breakdown in societal
values which also culminated in the form of disease
3. The lost of Jerusalem to the Jews (Say: To Allah belong both East
and West)
4. The present practice of only visiting graves only once or twice a year

e) Indicating Islam As The Last Religion

The Al-Quran is littered with references to the history prior to the coming of
the Prophet s.a.w. It tells us the fallibility of Man, the grace of Allah in
sending prophets armed with the message of Allah and some given
scriptures that serves similar purposes to the Quran. Thus the External
Naskh to previous scriptures of Christianity and Judaism. Naik (2000) in
Islamic Voice pointed to the supremacy of the religion is exemplified by the
challenge laid down gradually to the Unbelievers namely to produce a book,
then 10 surah or even 1 surah that comparable to the Al-Quran.

20
PART 8:- CONCLUSION

The study of abrogation is of value and relevance to Muslims today. It

highlights the following:-
i) The divine power and wisdom of Allah.
ii) Understanding it in the context of Islamic history drives appreciation
of the strength of the religion.
iii) Full appreciation of Islamic history is imperative for Islamic revival
iv) Unity is seen as a driving force that propelled the Ummah forward and
its breakdown contributed to the opposite.
v) Knowledge is one of the pre-requisite of a strong Ummah. Studies on
the Al-Quran, Sunnah and abrogation are the foundation to other
intellectual hunger for other forms of knowledge.
vi) Complexity of subject matter can be broken down, analyzed and
become the foundation for better legal decisions as reflected by Imam
Shafii.
vii) Economics and politics should not be divorced from religion and this
is represented in Maqasid Al-Shariah. Important to student of Islamic
finance.
viii) The enemies of Islam attacks Islam not necessarily by engaging in
“open” warfare but via “clash of ideas”.
ix) The wisdom of abrogation should drive the quest of betterment, the
quest to evolve and apply “Ijtihad”.
x) The lessons derived to be seen as applicable for leadership and
management in various scopes of everyday life.
xi) Al-Quran and the Sunnah are not to be understood in parts but as a
whole. Part application results in dubious interpretation e.g. Jihad
(terrorism), rejection of worldly goals and other negatives.

21
Recommendation: - The subject of Islamic history and abrogation as a
topic should be taught to Muslims children at the earliest age based on
the above value and relevance.

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All Quranic quotes are from http://www.accesstoislam.com
Attachment File://P:\Map_Expansion.gif retrieved from
http://www.princeton.edu/~humcomp/dimensions.html

Other Reading Materials

Azami, Muhammad Mustafa, Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature.

Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust, (2002)
Azami, Muhammad Mustafa, Studies in Early Hadith Literature with a
Critical Edition of Some Early Texts. Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust,
(2000)
http://livingislam.org/n/itsw_e.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/634540/Shah-Wali-Allah
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=2656&CATE=1
http://www.loadislam.com/artical_det.php?artical_id=414&section=wel_isla
m&subsection=Misconceptions#10
http://www.meforum.org/1754/peace-or-jihad-abrogation-in-islam#_ftn7
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=5&section=0&article=116312&d=17&m=
11&y=2008
http://www.islamicity.com/dialogue/Q617.HTM
http://witnesspioneer.org/vil/Books/SH_Usul/Command_Prohibitions_Nas
k.htm
http://en.wordpress.com/tag/abrogation/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/conversion/beginner_1.sht
ml
http://shamsuddinwaheed.blogspot.com/2008/07/quranic-abrogation-
examination-of-naskh.html
http://www.brillonline.nl/public/abrogation
http://www.qurancomplex.org/default.asp?l=eng

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http://muslim-canada.org/contribution_shafi.html
http://www.islamicboard.com/quran/4983-uloom-al-quran-naskh-
abrogation.html
http://www.islamicperspectives.com/Stoning1.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kox5XNuyb8

Attachment:-
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