One is the sense of transferring and copying, as in the transcription of a book—namely, that it is transferred from one book to another. According to this sense, the entire Quran has been transcribed, since it was copied from the Preserved Tablet.

The second is the sense of removal. One says, “The sun abrogated the shade,” meaning that it took it away and eliminated it. According to this sense, part of the Quran is abrogating and part is abrogated, and this is what is meant by the verse. ⦗17/A⦘ This occurs in several forms. One is that the written text remains while the ruling is abrogated, as with the verse concerning bequests for relatives, the verse prescribing a one-year waiting period for a widow, the verse concerning the easing of the ruling in battle, the verse of Surah al-Mumtahanah, and the like. (1)

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said regarding His saying, “Whatever verse We abrogate”: “Whatever verse whose written text We retain while We change its ruling.” Another form is that its recitation is removed while its ruling remains, as with the verse concerning stoning. Another is that its recitation is removed altogether, from both the written codex and people’s hearts, as was narrated from Abu Umamah ibn Sahl ibn Hunayf: A group of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, rose one night to recite a surah, but could remember nothing of it except, “In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.” In the morning, they went to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and informed him. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “That was a surah whose recitation and rulings have been removed.” (2)

It was also said that Surah al-Ahzab was equal in length to Surah al-Baqarah, but most of it was removed, both in recitation and ruling. Further, among the cases in which a ruling is abrogated are those in which it is removed and another ruling is established in its place: just as the direction of prayer was changed from Jerusalem to the Ka'bah; the bequest for relatives was replaced by inheritance; the waiting period for a widow was changed from one year to four months and ten days; and the requirement for one person to stand firm against ten in battle was replaced by the requirement for two to stand firm against two. Other cases involve a ruling being removed without another being established in its place, such as the testing of women. Abrogation applies only to commands and prohibitions, not to reports.

As for the meaning of the verse, “Whatever verse We abrogate”: the common reading has the first letter with an open vowel and the second with a kasrah, from the verb meaning “to abrogate”—that is, “We remove it.” Ibn Amir recited it with the first letter bearing a dammah and the second a kasrah, from the causative form of “copying,” which has two possible meanings:

One is: We make it like that which has been abrogated.

The second is: We make it a copy thereof. [One says, “I copied the book,” meaning, “I wrote it”; and, “I furnished another with a copy of it,” when I made it a copy for him.] (3) “Or cause it to be forgotten,” meaning, cause you to forget it.

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “We leave it and do not abrogate it.” Allah, exalted is He, says: “They forgot Allah, so He forgot them” (67–