AC: 'Qur'anic Abrogation' (2:106 and 16:101)
As a Muslim, we believe that the Qur'an in its Arabic form is the literal word of Allah (God). Therefore, we need to set a very high standard for this book. It should impress us or at least prove itself to be the best among any other books. First and foremost, the very basic assumption, is that, there should be no contradiction. Qu'ran is a holy book that is consistent with the following: verses, scientific discovery, mathematical patterns, rhyming of the verses from the very first page to the very last page, artistic calligraphy, linguistic composition, and whatnot. But, don't fall into what I say, see it for yourself, and put it into test as Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific. challenges all readers of the Qur'an:
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Open Challenge 1: The Whole Qur'an
قُل لَّئِنِ ٱجْتَمَعَتِ ٱلْإِنسُ وَٱلْجِنُّ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَأْتُوا۟ بِمِثْلِ هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لَا يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِۦ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْSay, "If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants."Qur'anAl-Isra (The Night Journey)17:88
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Open Challenge 2: Ten Chapters
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ قُلْ فَأْتُوا۟ بِعَشْرِ سُوَرٍ مِّثْلِهِۦ مُفْتَرَيَٰتٍ وَٱدْعُوا۟ مَنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَOr do they say, "He invented it"? Say, "Then bring ten surahs like it that have been invented and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allah, if you should be truthful."Qur'anHud (Hud)11:13
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Open Challenge 3: One Chapter
وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِى رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا۟ بِسُورَةٍ مِّن مِّثْلِهِۦ وَٱدْعُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَAnd if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful.Qur'anAl-Baqara (The Cow)2:23
Let's analyze the verses being questioned.
- One Absolute God. Allah is not a "Muslim God", instead Allah is the almighty God of all human beings. Whoever that one supreme being, that's the Almighty God. Allah simply mean "the one and only true God".
- Muslims (followers of Islam) simply mean "one who submits to the will of the Almighty God". Whoever submits all his life to the will of God, he is a Muslim by definition.
Therefore, all prophets send by Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific. are considered Muslims by definition. That is because all of them submit to the will of Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific., and all of them teach the absolute oneness of God, from prophet Adam (A.S.) to prophet Moses (A.S.) to prophet Jesus (A.S.) (see John 5:30) and finally to prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.)Ṣalla llāhu ʿalay-hi wa-alehe-wa-sallam, Arabic for "May Allah honour him and grant him peace", Muslim honorific..
The revelations of the scriptures where chronologically given to succeeding prophets, and prior to the revelations of the holy Qur'an, Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific. first revealed the Torah to prophet Moses (A.S.). There is no doubt Moses (A.S.) taught the core belief of monotheistic religion, and that is, God is absolute in oneness:
Years after the revelations of the Torah, Allah revealed the Gospels to the children of Israel through prophet Jesus (A.S.). As a Muslim, we believed Jesus (A.S.) was only send to the people of Israel, this is confirmed by Matthew 15:24 (assuming this is indeed a revelation). Therefore, at this point, if Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific. is indeed consistent with His verses, then the foundation of the Gospels must be based on the Torah. Further, if Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific. is also full of wisdom, then the Gospels must not be identical to the Torah, but rather build on top of it (the Torah), so as to preserve the consistency of the core message of the religion of Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific.. Indeed, that's exactly what happened, since Jesus (A.S.) used the Torah as his basis for preaching but also include other revelations from Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific..
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Jesus (A.S.) acknowledged the Torah (the laws and the prophets):
μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας· οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι. ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἕως ἂν παρέλθῃ ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου ἕως ἂν πάντα γένηται. ὃς ἐὰν οὗν λύσῃ μίαν τῶν ἐντολῶν τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων καὶ διδάξῃ οὕτως τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἐλάχιστος κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὃς δ᾽ ἂν ποιήσῃ καὶ διδάξῃ, οὖτος μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν."Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.Bible (ESV)Matthew5:17-19
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Jesus (A.S.) teaches the absolute oneness of Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific.:
αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ἵνα γινώσκωσιν σὲ τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεὸν καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας ἰησοῦν χριστόν.And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.Bible (ESV)John17:3Καὶ προσελθὼν εἷς τῶν γραμματέων ἀκούσας αὐτῶν συζητούντων, ἰδὼν ὅτι καλῶς ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς, ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτόν· Ποία ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη πάντων; ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι Πρώτη ἐστίν· Ἄκουε, Ἰσραήλ, κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστιν, καὶ ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου. δευτέρα αὕτη· Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν. μείζων τούτων ἄλλη ἐντολὴ οὐκ ἔστιν. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ γραμματεύς· Καλῶς, διδάσκαλε, ἐπ’ ἀληθείας εἶπες ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος πλὴν αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς συνέσεως καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος καὶ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν περισσότερόν ἐστιν πάντων τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων καὶ θυσιῶν. καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ὅτι νουνεχῶς ἀπεκρίθη εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Οὐ μακρὰν εἶ ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ οὐδεὶς οὐκέτι ἐτόλμα αὐτὸν ἐπερωτῆσαι.And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.Bible (ESV)Mark12:28-34
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Jesus (A.S.) submits to the will of God:
Οὐ δύναμαι ἐγὼ ποιεῖν ἀπ’ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐδέν· καθὼς ἀκούω κρίνω, καὶ ἡ κρίσις ἡ ἐμὴ δικαία ἐστίν, ὅτι οὐ ζητῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με.I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.Bible (ESV)John5:30
At this point, we can therefore conclude that, the new revelations in the Gospels encompasses the previous revelations as it builds on top of it. If you look at the first verse being questioned, it simply says that, the Torah, which we can think of as "old edition" of the holy book, is not abrogated or cause to be forgotten, except that Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific. will bring forth better than it or similar to it, and in this case that would be the Gospels. We can think of the Gospels as "new edition" of the holy book. Again "new edition", in the sense that previous edition are not ignored or abrogated but rather are used as reference since the Gospels and the Torah have similarity but not identical!
Analogously, we can think of the Qur'an as the "latest edition" of the holy books. That is, the Qur'an builds its foundation from the previous revelations, the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospels, as confirmed by the following verses:
Lastly, as a Muslim, Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific. knows best on the true meaning of all the verses He revealed, but we believe in it and there is no contradiction in the Qur'an as Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific. said:
Does the Qur'an substitute the previous revelations? To some extent yes, just like how we think of new edition of any Science book, it is meant to substitute the old edition, but that doesn't mean the new edition teaches totally different concepts, but rather it builds on top of the previous edition. Hence, we can use the previous edition as a reference though it was substituted already by the new edition. It's not a contradiction but it's a fact. So we Muslims use the previous revelations as a reference as well, due to the same reasoning, and that is, it has the same core message anyways, and Allah (S.W.T.)Subhanahu wa ta'ala, Arabic for "May He be glorified and exalted", Muslim honorific. told us to refer to it to confirm the revelations in the Qur'an:
Verse 16:101 refer to the time when prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.)Ṣalla llāhu ʿalay-hi wa-alehe-wa-sallam, Arabic for "May Allah honour him and grant him peace", Muslim honorific. told the people about the new revelations. The Jews don't care anyway if new verse are substituted by another verse in the Qur'an. They only care if the Qur'an will substitute their scriptures. That is why they accused Muhammad (S.A.W.)Ṣalla llāhu ʿalay-hi wa-alehe-wa-sallam, Arabic for "May Allah honour him and grant him peace", Muslim honorific., as quoted explicitly in 16:101 above, saying "You, [O Muhammad], are but an inventor [of lies]". This line simply tells us that the above verse is meant to substitute the previous scriptures.
The meaning of the word Aayah in the Qur'an is not limited to the word "verse". It could mean the following:
- Miracles or Signs from God as in:
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ تِسْعَ ءَايَٰتٍۭ بَيِّنَٰتٍ فَسْـَٔلْ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِذْ جَآءَهُمْ فَقَالَ لَهُۥ فِرْعَوْنُ إِنِّى لَأَظُنُّكَ يَٰمُوسَىٰ مَسْحُورًاAnd We had certainly given Moses nine evident signs, so ask the Children of Israel [about] when he came to them and Pharaoh said to him, "Indeed I think, O Moses, that you are affected by magic."Qur'anAl-Isra (The Night Journey)17:101And verily We gave unto Moses nine tokens, clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty). Do but ask the Children of Israel how he came unto them, then Pharaoh said unto him: Lo! I deem thee one bewitched, O Moses.PickthallOther Translation17:101To Moses We did give Nine Clear Signs: As the Children of Israel: when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him: "O Moses! I consider thee, indeed, to have been worked upon by sorcery!Yusuf AliOther Translation17:101And certainly We gave Musa nine clear signs; so ask the children of Israel. When he came to them, Firon said to him: Most surely I deem you, O Musa, to be a man deprived of reason.ShakirOther Translation17:101To Moses We gave nine illustrious miracles. Ask the Israelites; Moses came to them. The Pharaoh said to him,"Moses, I believe that you are bewitched".Muhammad SarwarOther Translation17:101And indeed We gave to Musa (Moses) nine clear signs. Ask then the Children of Israel, when he came to them, then Fir'aun (Pharaoh) said to him: "O Musa (Moses)! I think you are indeed bewitched."Mohsin KhanOther Translation17:101And We gave Moses nine signs, clear signs. Ask the Children of Israel when he came to them, and Pharaoh said to him, 'Moses, I think thou art bewitched.'ArberryOther Translation17:101
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Portent, Evidence, Example or Sign for people to take heed from as in:
وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ لَّمَّا كَذَّبُوا۟ ٱلرُّسُلَ أَغْرَقْنَٰهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَٰهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ ءَايَةً وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّٰلِمِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًاAnd the people of Noah - when they denied the messengers, We drowned them, and We made them for mankind a sign. And We have prepared for the wrongdoers a painful punishment.Qur'anAl-Furqan (The Criterian)25:37And Noah's folk, when they denied the messengers, We drowned them and made of them a portent for mankind. We have prepared a painful doom for evil-doers.PickthallOther Translation25:37And the people of Noah,- when they rejected the messengers, We drowned them, and We made them as a Sign for mankind; and We have prepared for (all) wrong-doers a grievous Penalty;-Yusuf AliOther Translation25:37And the people of Nuh, when they rejected the messengers, We drowned them, and made them a sign for men, and We have prepared a painful punishment for the unjust;ShakirOther Translation25:37We drowned the people of Noah because of their rejection of the Messengers and made them evidence of the Truth for mankind. We have prepared a painful torment for the unjust ones.Muhammad SarwarOther Translation25:37And Nuh's (Noah) people, when they denied the Messengers We drowned them, and We made them as a sign for mankind. And We have prepared a painful torment for the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc).Mohsin KhanOther Translation25:37And the people of Noah, when they cried lies to the Messengers, We drowned them, and made them to be a sign to mankind; and We have prepared for the evildoers a painful chastisement.ArberryOther Translation25:37
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Sign, Evidence, Token as in:
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱجْعَل لِّىٓ ءَايَةً قَالَ ءَايَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ ٱلنَّاسَ ثَلَٰثَ لَيَالٍ سَوِيًّا[Zechariah] said, "My Lord, make for me a sign." He said, "Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights, [being] sound."Qur'anMaryam (Mary - the Mother of Jesus (A.S.))19:10He said: My Lord! Appoint for me some token. He said: Thy token is that thou, with no bodily defect, shalt not speak unto mankind three nights.PickthallOther Translation19:10(Zakariya) said: "O my Lord! give me a Sign." "Thy Sign," was the answer, "Shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three nights, although thou art not dumb."Yusuf AliOther Translation19:10He said: My Lord! give me a sign. He said: Your sign is that you will not be able to speak to the people three nights while in sound health.ShakirOther Translation19:10Zachariah asked, " Lord, show me evidence (if this is a heavenly news)." The Lord said, "The evidence for it is that you must not speak (to any mortal) though you are in good health for three nights (and days)."Muhammad SarwarOther Translation19:10[Zakariya (Zachariah)] said: "My Lord! Appoint for me a sign." He said: "Your sign is that you shall not speak unto mankind for three nights, though having no bodily defect."Mohsin KhanOther Translation19:10He said, 'Lord, appoint to me some sign.' Said He, 'Thy sign is that thou shall not speak to men, though being without fault, three nights.'ArberryOther Translation19:10
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Verse, Revelation, or Sign in the Qur'an as in:
كِتَٰبٌ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَٰرَكٌ لِّيَدَّبَّرُوٓا۟ ءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَٰبِ[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.Qur'anSad (The Letter Sad)38:29(This is) a Scripture that We have revealed unto thee, full of blessing, that they may ponder its revelations, and that men of understanding may reflect.PickthallOther Translation38:29(Here is) a Book which We have sent down unto thee, full of blessings, that they may mediate on its Signs, and that men of understanding may receive admonition.Yusuf AliOther Translation38:29(It is) a Book We have revealed to you abounding in good that they may ponder over its verses, and that those endowed with understanding may be mindful.ShakirOther Translation38:29It is a blessed Book which We have revealed for you so that you will reflect upon its verses and so the people of understanding will take heed.Muhammad SarwarOther Translation38:29(This is) a Book (the Quran) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember.Mohsin KhanOther Translation38:29A Book We have sent down to thee, Blessed, that men possessed of minds may ponder its signs and so remember.ArberryOther Translation38:29
- Because the words "cause to be forgotten" could not be applicable if the word "Aayah" in this verse meant a verse in the Qur'an. How can a verse in the Qur'an become forgotten? For even if the verse was invalidated by another (as the interpreters falsely claim) it will still be part of the Qur'an and thus could never be forgotten.
- The words "We replace it with that which is better than it or similar to it" would be meaningless if the word "Aayah" in this verse meant a Quranic verse, simply because it would make no sense for God to invalidate one verse then replace it with one that is similar to it!
- If the word "Aayah" in verse 2:106 meant a miracle, an example, an evidence, a portent, or a sign, then all the words of the verse would make perfect sense. The words "cause to be forgotten" can apply to all other meanings except for Qur'anic verses, and that is what actually happened with the passing of time. The miracles of Moses (A.S.) and Jesus (A.S.) have long been forgotten. We only believe in them because they are mentioned in the Quran.
- A. Muhammad. The lie of "Quranic Abrogation". True Islam, www.quran-islam.com. Retrieved August 17, 2018
- The Noble Qur'an, URL: https://quran.com/, Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- The Qur'an Arabic Corpus, URL: http://corpus.quran.com/, Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- Saif min Suyufillah. Response 67. Contradictions in Qur'an Refutation. URL: https://nocontradictionsinquran.wordpress.com, Retrieved August 20, 2018