“Umar bin al-Khattab asked about a verse of Allah’s book, they answered: ‘ It was with a man who got killed on day of Yamama (battle)’. He (Umar) said: ‘We all shall return to Allah’. Then he ordered to collect the Quran, therefore he was the first one who collected it in one book.”
– Kanz ul Ummal, Volume 2, p. 574
Umar was once looking for the text of a specific verse of the Qur’an he vaguely remembered. To his deep sorrow, he discovered that the only person who had any record of that verse had been killed in the battle of Yamama and that the verse was consequently lost.
– Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Masahif, p. 10
– See also as-Suyuti’s al-Itqan fi ‘ulum al-Quran, volume 1, p. 204
In the Muqaddamah of Q. 33, Jalaluddin as-Suyuti recorded a statement from Sufyan al-Thawri (d. 161 A. H), as narrated by his student Abd al-Razaq al-Sanani (d. 211 A. H.):
وأخرج عبد الرزاق عن الثوري قال: بلغنا ان ناسا من أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم كانوا يقرأون القرآن أصيبوا يوم مسيلمة فذهبت حروف من القرآن
“Abd al-Razaq narrated from Al-Thawri that he said: ‘I have come to know that people from the Sahaba of the Prophet who used to recite the Quran were killed on the day of Musaylama and with their deaths letters from the Quran were lost (Zahab).’”
– Tafsir Dur al-Manthur, Muqaddamah of Surah Ahzab, Volume 6, p. 558
“Ismail bin Ibrahim narrated from Ayub from Naf’i from Ibn Umar who said: ‘Verily among you people one would say that he has found the Quran while he is unaware of what the total quantity of the Quran was, because most of the Quran has been lost. Rather one should say that verily he has found the Quran that has appeared.’”
– Fadhail al-Quran, by Qasim bin Salam (d. 222 A.H.), Volume 2, p. 135
Al-Itqan fi ‘ulum al-Quran by Suyuti, rendered into Urdu by Maulana Muhammad Haleem Ansari, Volume 2, p. 64 (Idara Islamiat, Lahore). Below is an English translation of this specific report taken from another version of the Itqan:
It is reported from Ismail ibn Ibrahim from Ayyub from Naafi from Ibn Umar who said: “ Let none of you say ‘I have acquired the whole of the Qur’an ‘. How does he know what all of it is when much of the Qur’an has disappeared? Rather let him say ‘I have acquired what has survived.'”
– Al-Itqan, p. 524
Misunderstanding of Abrogation
The false understanding that the verses of the Quran can be abrogated comes from the misunderstanding of the following two verses.
2:106 When we abrogate any miracle, or cause it to be forgotten, we produce a better miracle, or at least an equal one. Do you not recognize the fact that GOD is Omnipotent?
16:101 When we substitute one revelation in place of another, and GOD is fully aware of what He reveals, they say, “You made this up!” Indeed, most of them do not know.
The misunderstanding stems from the single word, ayat / آيَةٍ. While this word in modern Arabic means verse, in the Classical Arabic of the Quran this word, as represented in its singular form, means either sign, miracle, or the entire Quran. The singular form of this word, which is used 84 times in the Quran, is never used in reference to a single verse of the Quran.
One of the aspects of the Quran is that it contains no contradictions. This is to affirm the followers of the Quran that if we come up with an understanding that forms a contradiction that it means we need to adjust our understanding of the verses to eliminate the contradiction. The followers of Hadith on the other hand believe that many verses of the Quran do contradict and therefore infer that the verses abrogate one another. This understanding itself forms a contradiction with the following verse.
4:82 Why do they not study the Quran carefully? If it were from other than GOD, they would have found in it numerous contradictions.
Another contradiction is formed if we are to think that certain verses of the Quran are abrogated as God tells us that no other source can abrogate the words of God. Yet the Hadith makes it appear as if Muhammad himself had such an ability.
Judamat al-Asadiyyah said that she heard the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) Say:
I intended to prohibit suckling during pregnancy (ghailah), but I considered the Greeks and the Persians and saw that they practiced it, without any injury being caused to their children thereby. Malik said: Ghailah means that a man has intercourse with a women while she is suckling a child.
Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani); Sunan Abi Dawud 3882; Book 29, Hadith 28; Book 28, Hadith 3873
As we see specified consistently throughout the Quran the messenger did not have the authority to add any of his own religious laws, but strictly only followed what was revealed to him by God.
10:15 When our revelations are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet us say, “Bring a Quran other than this, or change it!” Say, “I cannot possibly change it on my own. I simply follow what is revealed to me. I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the retribution of an awesome day.”
The Quran uses two words that mean abrogation the first more commonly known word is nasikh, as used in 2:106, and the other is badl, as used in 16:101. We see this second use of this word used in the following verse which clarify that God’s words can never be abrogated by any other source.
18:27 You shall recite what is revealed to you of your Lord’s scripture. Nothing shall abrogate His words, and you shall not find any other source beside it.
We see nasikh used in the following verse, showing that God abrogates the work of the devil.
22:52 We did not send before you any messenger, nor a prophet, without having the devil interfere in his wishes. GOD then nullifies what the devil has done. GOD perfects His revelations. GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise.
An example of this that we are witnessing today is the abundance of Hadith that have been attributed to the prophet of God. This is further explained in the following two verses.
6:112 We have permitted the enemies of every prophet—human and jinn devils—to inspire in each other fancy words, in order to deceive. Had your Lord willed, they would not have done it. You shall disregard them and their fabrications.
6:113 This is to let the minds of those who do not believe in the Hereafter listen to such fabrications, and accept them, and thus expose their real convictions.
The reason that followers of the Hadith are so fixated on mistranslating 2:106 and 16:101 is that without this clause, they will never be able to justify the upholding of Hadith. The reason is that the mere act of upholding Hadith besides the Quran as religious law is prohibited in the Quran.
77:50 Which Hadith, other than this, do they uphold?
(٥٠) فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ
45:6 These are GOD’s revelations that we recite to you truthfully. In which Hadith other than GOD and His revelations do they believe?
Therefore, to break such a crucial commandment, followers of Hadith came up with this concept of abrogation.
Quran Is Complete
The Quran repeatedly tells us that it is complete, fully detailed, explains everything we need for our salvation, and should be our only source of religious law.
6:114 Shall I seek other than GOD as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this book fully detailed? Those who received the scripture recognize that it has been revealed from your Lord, truthfully. You shall not harbor any doubt.
According to the Quran one of the worst evils a person can do is to attribute lies to God. Individuals who spread Hadith and promote the concept of abrogation, therefore, are committing one of the worst sins.
6:21 Who is more evil than one who lies about GOD, or rejects His revelations? The transgressors never succeed.
The Quran is complete, perfect, fully detailed, and the only Hadith that a follower of the Quran should uphold as a source of religious law (6:114-115). The supporters of additional Hadith besides the Quran claim that these other Hadith are needed to understand the Quran. Yet, such claims not only contradict the verses of the Quran, which state that it is clear and easy to understand but also create numerous contradictions in the religion. Then in order to bypass these contradictions, upholders of Hadith besides the Quran had to create another innovation around the concept of abrogation, which allows individuals to cherry-pick which verses of the Quran they want to follow and which ones they want to disregard.
This is akin to a person who tells a lie, then has to perpetually spin additional lies to reconcile the gaps in their story, but at a certain point, the lies get to be too much, and the whole narrative comes crashing down.
39:23 GOD has revealed herein the best Hadith; a book that is consistent, and points out both ways (to Heaven and Hell). The skins of those who reverence their Lord cringe therefrom, then their skins and their hearts soften up for GOD’s message. Such is GOD’s guidance; He bestows it upon whomever He wills. As for those sent astray by GOD, nothing can guide them.
39:29 GOD cites the example of a man who deals with disputing partners (Hadith), compared to a man who deals with only one consistent source (Quran). Are they the same? Praise be to GOD; most of them do not know.
39:32 Who is more evil than one who attributes lies to GOD, while disbelieving in the truth that has come to him? Is Hell not a just requital for the disbelievers?
39:36 Is GOD not sufficient for His servant? They frighten you with the idols they set up beside Him. Whomever GOD sends astray, nothing can guide him.