Abrogation in Islam

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

The concept of abrogation does exist in Islam. Allah Most High revealed His commandments and prohibitions to the people through His Apostles and Scriptures. Some of those commandments and prohibitions were intended to be temporary. The wisdom of this is that the circumstances in which humanity, at different times and places, found itself in required some variation and evolution in the laws. Islam also accepts that in history Allah made several covenants, some intended for permanence and others not, and some intended for a specific nation and others for all humanity.

It may be said that Noah (peace be upon him) was the first Messenger of Allah who established a basic law, or Shari’ah, which the people were obligated to adhere to. This divine law revealed through Noah is commonly known as the Seven Laws of Noah. They are laws which prohibit idolatry, blasphemy, murder, sexual immorality, theft, eating flesh torn from a living animal, and enjoin the establishment of courts of justice. None of these laws have been abrogated or abolished, but they have been added to and perfected in the Shari’ah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which is the final and complete divine Law for all humanity until the end of the world. After this Allah established a covenant through the patriarch Abraham (peace be upon him), known as the Covenant of Circumcision. It is alluded to in the Quran:

قَالَ لَا یَنَالُ عَہۡدِی الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ

He (Allah) said: “My Covenant does not embrace the transgressors”

(Surah 2:124)

The Covenant spoken of here is the Covenant of Circumcision, in which Allah would reward the offspring of Abraham with leadership over the people. According to the Torah, this is meant to be an everlasting covenant (Genesis chapter 17).

Yet, the Bible also mentions several examples of abrogation, where a covenant or law previously legislated by God was nullified. God designated Saul (named Talut in the Quran) king over Israel through the agency of Prophet Samuel (1 Samuel chapters 9 and 10). Yet, shortly thereafter God abrogated His appointment of Saul, and announced this abrogation once again through the agency of Prophet Samuel: “But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee” (1 Samuel 13:14) “Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments” (1 Samuel 15:10-11) “Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:23) “The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou” (1 Samuel 15:28). This entire episode has been summarized in the holy Quran where Allah mentions his appointment of both Saul and then David as kings:

وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ بَعَثَ لَكُمْ طَالُوتَ مَلِكًا

And their Prophet (Samuel) said to them: ‘Allah has appointed for you Talut (Saul) as a king.’

(Surah 2:247)

Continuing the narrative, and only a few verses later, Allah says:

وَقَتَلَ دَاوٗدُ جَالُوۡتَ وَاٰتٰٮہُ اللّٰہُ الۡمُلۡکَ وَالۡحِکۡمَۃَ وَعَلَّمَہٗ مِمَّا یَشَآءُ

And David slew Goliath, and Allah gave him sovereignty and wisdom, and taught him of what He pleased

(Surah 2:251)

The great Prophet Jeremiah declared that both the Mosaic and Davidic Covenants had been broken by the Israelites: "The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.” (Jeremiah 11:10) "Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:32) "Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.” (Jeremiah 33:21)

The end of the Davidic Covenant is also evident in the fact that after the Babylonian Exile never again did a descendant of King David sit upon the throne to rule over Israel. As for the Mosaic Covenant, although Orthodox Jews insist it is everlasting, there are clear indications in their own Scripture that it is not. The breaking of the original Tablets by Moses at Mount Sinai are a strong symbolic indication of this fact. The replacement Tablets were not like the original Tablets. Upon the original Tablets, the Torah says God Himself wrote the commandments with His own Finger (Exodus 31:18, Exodus 26:16) but the replacement Tablets were inscribed by Moses (Exodus 34:28).

The authority of a Prophet is higher than that of Scripture. In other words, if a Prophet, through Revelation, declares something permissible which is forbidden in the Scripture, or declares something forbidden which is permissible in the Scripture, the Prophet is to be followed in that situation, and not the Scripture. Here I will give the example of Prophet Jesus, who abrogated some injunctions in the Torah:

وَمُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَلِأُحِلَّ لَكُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي حُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ

And I come fulfilling that which is before me, namely, the Torah; and to allow you some of that which was forbidden you

(Surah 3:50)

It is mentioned in the Christian Gospels that Jesus abrogated some of the strictures of the Sabbath. He approved of his disciples plucking ears of corn from cornfields on the Sabbath despite objections from the Pharisees, and he himself performed miraculous healings on the Sabbath. Jesus said: “For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day”. It is also mentioned in the Christian Gospels that Jesus abrogated some injunctions of the Torah, namely, divorce and oaths: “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (Matthew 5:31-32) “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:33-37).

There are examples of abrogation of rulings in the holy Quran too. The Quran was not revealed at once, but over a period of some twenty three years of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) ministry. Here I shall present some examples of abrogation:

The Qiblah

Allah says in the Quran that the initial Qiblah that was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) was facing the direction of Jerusalem:

وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا الۡقِبۡلَۃَ الَّتِیۡ کُنۡتَ عَلَیۡہَاۤ اِلَّا لِنَعۡلَمَ مَنۡ یَّتَّبِعُ الرَّسُوۡلَ مِمَّنۡ یَّنۡقَلِبُ عَلٰی عَقِبَیۡہِ

And We did not appoint the Qiblah which thou didst follow, except that We might know him who follows the Messenger from him who turns upon his heels

(Surah 2:143)

This Ayah makes it clear that the initial Qiblah of Jerusalem was revealed by Allah. It was not the Prophet Muhammad’s own decision to pray facing Jerusalem, but such was revealed to him by Allah. Incidentally, this Ayah disproves the claim of the so-called “Quranist” movement that there were no extra-Quranic revelations to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), thereby demolishing their sola scriptura doctrine. That is because the command to offer Salah facing Jerusalem is nowhere found in the text of the Quran, therefore, it must have been an extra-Quranic revelation to the Prophet. Allah abrogated the Qiblah of Jerusalem and replaced it with the Qiblah of Mecca (Surah 2:144).

Khamr

The prohibition of intoxicants and alcoholic beverages like wine, beer, etc., was done gradually. First Allah merely prohibited offering of Salah in a drunken state:

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تَقۡرَبُوا الصَّلٰوۃَ وَاَنۡتُمۡ سُکٰرٰی

O ye who believe! approach not Prayer when you are not in full possession of your senses

(Surah 4:43)

Then the divine law prohibiting khamr absolutely was revealed later.

Punishment for Zina

The initial ruling revealed in the Quran about women who commit sexual immorality, against whom four witnesses testify, was that they should be placed under house arrest until they die:

اَوۡ یَجۡعَلَ اللّٰہُ لَہُنَّ سَبِیۡلًا

or Allah open for them a way

(Surah 4:15)

The concluding clause of this Ayah is an indication that the ruling is not intended for permanence but will later be abrogated. So Allah later revealed the abrogating commandment with regard to punishment for zina, which is flogging of a hundred stripes (Surah 24:2).

Keep in mind that the concept of abrogation does not apply to beliefs and moral teachings or ethics. Those can never be abrogated. Abrogation has only occurred with respect to laws and rulings, and also covenants. After the completion of the Revelation to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) his Shari’ah is permanent and everlasting, incumbent upon all humanity until the end of the world.