Naskh — Abrogation in the Quran and Sunnah

Naskh (abrogation) is the concept that certain rulings in the Quran or Sunnah were superseded by later rulings during the Prophet's lifetime. The Quran itself references this principle: "We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth one better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent?" (Quran 2:106). Understanding naskh is essential for correctly applying Islamic law, as applying an abrogated ruling when a superseding one exists would lead to error.

Types of Abrogation

Scholars identify several types. Naskh of the ruling while the text remains: the verse is still recited in the Quran, but its legal ruling has been replaced. For example, the verse commanding believers to face Jerusalem in prayer was abrogated by the command to face Mecca (Quran 2:144), but both verses remain in the Quran. Naskh of the text while the ruling remains: the verse is no longer in the written Quran, but its ruling is still applied. The most cited example is the verse on stoning for adultery, which Umar said was part of what was revealed but is not in the current text, while its ruling is established through mutawatir Sunnah. Naskh of both text and ruling: scholars mention this category theoretically, though examples are debated.

Conditions and Limitations

Naskh is subject to strict conditions. Only legislative verses (dealing with commands and prohibitions) can be abrogated; verses about creed, historical narratives, and promises/threats cannot be abrogated. The abrogating verse must be of equal or greater authority than the abrogated one (Quran can abrogate Quran; Sunnah can abrogate Sunnah; the scholars debate whether Sunnah can abrogate Quran and vice versa). Naskh can only occur during the Prophet's lifetime; after his death, no new revelation comes, so no further abrogation is possible. The abrogated ruling must have been a genuine legal command, not merely informational.

Examples

Well-established examples include: the change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Mecca; the gradual prohibition of alcohol (first described as having both sin and benefit in Quran 2:219, then prohibited during prayer in Quran 4:43, then prohibited entirely in Quran 5:90-91); the abrogation of the requirement to make a bequest for parents before death (Quran 2:180) by the inheritance verses (Quran 4:11-12) and the hadith "There is no bequest for an heir"; and the abrogation of the command to remain patient with persecution (early Meccan verses) by the permission to fight in self-defense (Quran 22:39).

Common Misconceptions

Some scholars greatly expanded the number of abrogated verses, while others restricted it significantly. Al-Suyuti listed over 200 allegedly abrogated verses, but later scholars like Shah Waliullah al-Dihlawi reduced the number to approximately 5, and some modern scholars accept even fewer. Many cases labeled as "abrogation" by early scholars are better understood as specification (takhsis), where a general verse is qualified by a specific one, rather than true abrogation. The concept of naskh is also frequently misrepresented by critics of Islam who claim that peaceful verses were "abrogated" by verses of fighting. In reality, the verses of peace and the verses of warfare address different situations, and the principle of context (not abrogation) determines which applies in a given circumstance.