This allegation is based on the thesis
that verses of the Holy Quran revealed
late in the ministry of the Holy Prophet
of Islam abrogate the verses that he
received early in his ministry. Thus, it is
argued, that all that is said about Islam
being a religion of peace is just a
charade since such statements are
always based on verses that were
revealed early on. What people are not
told, it is said, is that these ‘peace
promoting verses’ are no longer valid.
So people need to be made aware that
the true and permanent stance of
Islam is the one based on the later
revealed verses that call for violent
Jihad and the killing of all infidels etc.
Before dealing with this allegation
specifically, let me make some general
comments.
This allegation is not new – it has been
around for a long time and have been
refuted not only in detail and by
reference to the Holy Quran but also
common sense invalidates all such
claims: Could even a single person – let
alone a whole world – have been won
over by Muhammad (sa) on the basis
of such [God forbid] lying, cheating
and fabricating?
By an orientalist, I have not found a
truer, sounder, more logical
assessment of Muhammad, peace and
blessings of God be upon him, then so
eloquently summarized by Thomas
Carlyle [May 8, 1840] in the beginning
of his famous Lecture: THE HERO AS
PROPHET. MAHOMET: ISLAM.
“Our current hypothesis about
Mahomet, that he was a scheming
Impostor, a Falsehood incarnate, that
his religion is a mere mass of quackery
and fatuity, begins really to be now
untenable to anyone. The lies, which
well-meaning zeal has heaped round
this man, are disgraceful to ourselves
only. …… It is really time to dismiss all
that. The word this man spoke has
been the life-guidance now of a
hundred and eighty millions of men
these twelve hundred years. These
hundred and eighty millions were
made by God as well as we. A greater
number of God’s creatures believe in
Mahomet’s word at this hour, than in
any other word whatever. Are we to
suppose that it was a miserable piece
of spiritual legerdemain, this which so
many creatures of the Almighty have
lived by and died by? I, for my part,
cannot form any such supposition. I
will believe most things sooner than
that. One would be entirely at a loss
what to think of this world at all, if
quackery so grew and were
sanctioned here. ”
“…… A false man found a religion?
Why, a false man cannot build a brick
house! If he do not know and follow
truly the properties of mortar, burnt
clay and what else be works in, it is no
house that he makes, but a rubbish-
heap. It will not stand for twelve
centuries, to lodge a hundred and
eighty millions; it will fall
straightway …..”
Let me now turn to the the allegation
specifically:
Holy Quran verses have been
abrogated: This is an utterly baseless
claim. The Holy Quran declares itself to
be perfect at the outset [2:3] and says
again and again that no one would
ever be able to compile even a single
Chapter like any of its Chapters
[2:24-25]
And if you are in doubt as to what We
have sent down to Our servant, then
produce a Chapter like it, and call
upon your helpers beside Allah, if you
are truthful. But if you do it not — and
never shall you do it — then guard
against the Fire, whose fuel is men and
stones, which is prepared for the
disbelievers. [2:24-25]
Commentary: The subject of the
incomparable excellence of the Qur’an
has been dealt with at five different
places, i.e., in 2:24; 10:39; 11:14;
17:89 & 52:34, 35. In two of these five
verses (2:24 & 10:39) the challenge is
identical, while in the remaining three
verses three separate and different
demands have been made from
disbelievers. At first sight this different
in the form of the challenge at different
places seems to be incongruous. But it
is not so. In fact, these verses contain
demands which stand for all time. The
challenge is open even today in all the
different forms mentioned in the
Qur ’an as it was in the time of the Holy
prophet.
Before explaining the various forms of
these challenges it is worth noting that
their mention in the Qur ’an is
invariably accompanied by a reference
to wealth and power, except in the
present verse which, as already stated,
does not contain a new challenge but
only repeats the challenge made in
10:39. From this it may be safely
concluded that there exists a close
connection between the question of
wealth and power and the challenge
for the production of the like of the
Qur ’an and part thereof.
This connection lies in the fact the
Qur ’an has been held out to
disbelievers as a priceless treasure.
When disbelievers demanded material
treasures from the Holy prophet
(11:13), they were told he possessed
a matchless treasure in the form of the
Qur ’an; and when they asked,
wherefore has not an angel come with
him (11:13), they were told in reply
that angels did descend upon him, for
their function was to bring the Word
had already been vouchsafed to him.
Thus both the demands for a treasure
and for the descent of angels have
been jointly met by the Qur ’an which is
a matchless treasure brought down by
angels, and the challenge to produce
it ’s like has been put forward as a
proof of its peerless quality.
Now, take the different verses
containing this challenge separately.
The greatest demand is made in 17:89,
where disbelievers are required to
bring a book like the whole of the
Qur ’an with all its manifold qualities. In
that verse disbelievers are not
required to represent their declare it to
be the equal of, or, for that matter,
better than, the Qur ’an. But at the time
disbelievers were not required to
produce the like of the Qur ’an then
and there; and the challenges thus
implied a prophecy that they would
never be able to produce the like of it,
neither in the form in which it then
was, nor when it became complete.
Again, the challenge was not confined
to the disbelievers of the Prophet’s
time alone, but extended to doubters
and critics of all time. The reason why
the disbelievers in 11:14 have been
called upon to produce ten Surahs and
not the whole of the Qur ’an in all
respects, but to that of only a portion
of it. The disbelievers had objected to
some parts of it being defective. Hence
they were not required to bring a
complete book like the whole of the
Qur ’an, but only ten truth of their
assertion might be tested. As for the
selection of the specific number 10 for
this purpose, it may be noted that
since in 17:89 the whole of the Qur ’an
was claimed to be a perfect Book, its
opponents were called upon to
produce the like of the whole of it; but
as in 11:14 the point was that certain
portions of it were objected to, so they
were asked to choose ten such
portions as appeared to them to be
most defective and then produce a
composition even like those portions.
In 10:39 disbelieves were called upon
to produce the like of only one Surah
of the Qur ’an. This is because; unlike
the above-mentioned two verses the
challenge in that verse was in support
of a claim made by the Qur ’an itself
and not in refutation of any objection
of the disbelievers. In 10:38 the Qur ’an
claimed to possess five very prominent
qualities. In support of this claim, verse
10:39 throws out a challenge to those
who deny to doubt it to produce a
single Surah containing these qualities
in the same perfect form in which they
are contained in the 10th Surah. The
fifth challenge to produce the like of
the Qur ’an is contained in the verse
under comment (2:24) and here also,
as in 10:39, disbelievers have been
called upon to bring forward a single
Surah like that of the Qur ’an. This
challenge is preceded by the claim that
the Qur ’an guides the righteous to the
highest stages of spiritual progress.
The disbelievers are told that if they
are in doubt about the Devine origin of
the Qur ’an, then they should bring
forward a single Surah that may be
comparable to it in the spiritual
influence it exercises over its
followers. See also “The Larger Edition
of the Commentary,” pp. 58-62.
The above explanation will show that
all these challenges calling upon
disbelievers to produce the like of the
Qur ’an are quite distinct and separate
one from the other, and all of them
stand for all time, none of them
superseding or cancelling the other.
But as the Qur ’an comprises sublime
and lofty ideas, it was inevitable that a
most beautiful diction and the chastest
style should have been employed as
the vehicle for the expression of those
ideas; otherwise the subject-matter
was liable to remain obscure and
doubtful and the perfect beauty
disbelievers have been challenged to
produce a composition like the Qur ’an,
the demand for beauty of style and
elegance of diction comparable to that
of the Qur ’an also forms a part of the
challenge.
Furthermore, and so as to leave no
doubt on what the Holy Quran itself
claims, it says itself that if it was not the
Word of God surely there would be
many contradictions in it.
[4:83] Will they not, then, meditate
upon the Qur ’an? Had it been from
anyone other than Allah, they would
surely have found therein much
disagreement.
The claim made that the Holy Quran
has itself declared that some of its
verses have been abrogated by
others …later verses abrogating earlier
ones etc. is totally unsustainable. The
verse cited in support of this allegation
usually is [2:107]
Whatever Sign We abrogate or cause
to be forgotten, We bring one better
than that or the like thereof. Dost thou
not know that Allah has the power to
do all that He wills?
Commentary: It is mistakenly inferred
from this verse that some verses of the
Qur ’an have been abrogated. The
conclusion is patently erroneous and
unwarranted. There is nothing in this
verse to indicate that the Ayah spoken
of in this verse as being abrogated,
refers to the previous Revelations. It is
pointed out that the previous
Scriptures contained two kinds of
commandments: (a) Those which,
owing to changed conditions and to
the universality of the new Revelation,
required abrogation. (b) Those
containing eternal truths which
needed resuscitation so that people
might be reminded of the forgotten
truth. It was, thereof, necessary to
abrogate certain portion of those
Scriptures and bring in their place new
ones, and also to restore the lost ones.
So, God abrogated some portions of
the previous Revelations, substituting
them with new and better ones, and at
the same time re-introduced the
missing general spirit of the Quranic
teaching. The Qur ’an has abrogated all
previous Scriptures; for, better than all
the old Laws, but is also meant for all
men for all times. An inferior teaching
verse the word Nansakh (We
abrogate) relates to the word Bi-
Khairin (one better) and the word
Nunsiha (we cause to be forgotten)
relates to the word Bi-Mithliha (the like
thereof), meaning that when God
abrogates a certain thing He brings a
better one in its place and when He
causes a thing to be forgotten, He
resuscitates it. It is admitted by Jewish
scholars themselves that after the
Israelites were carried away in
captivity to Babylon by
Nebuchadnezzar, the whole of the
Pentateuch was lost (Enc. Bib.).
There is another verse that is
sometimes quoted in this context:
16:102. Here also the meaning that
somehow a verse abrogation is meant
is quite untenable:
102. And when We bring one Sign in
place of another1577 and Allah
knows best the object of what He
reveals they say, thou art but a
fabricator. ’ Nay, but most of them
know not.
1577. The meaning is: “When We avert
or delay punishment on account of a
change for the better on the part of
those who are threatened with it. ”
There is no reference here to the
abrogation of any of the verses of the
Qur ’an. There is no verse in the Qur’an
which clashes with any other verse of
the Book and which may therefore
have to be regarded as abrogated. All
parts of the Qur ’an support and
corroborate one another. There is
nothing in the context either to
suggest any reference to the idea of
abrogation.
(Cited from http://www.alislam.org/
egazette/updates ... ach-other/)
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