from the Quran may be withdrawn through divine legislation by being erased from people’s hearts; this is causing it to be forgotten. Allah Most High thus states that whatever He abrogates or causes to be forgotten, He replaces with something better or similar. This demonstrates His bounty and mercy toward His believing servants, for He says immediately before this:

“O you who believe, do not say, ‘Rāʿinā (Attend to us),’ but say, ‘Unzurnā (Look upon us),’ and listen. And for the disbelievers there is a painful punishment.”

“Neither the disbelievers among the People of the Book nor the polytheists wish for any good to be sent down to you from your Lord. But Allah singles out for His mercy whomever He wills, and Allah is the Possessor of immense bounty.”

He thus forbade them to imitate the People of the Book in their disrespect toward the Messenger and what he brought. He explained that, because of their envy, they did not wish Allah to send down to him any of the Book or wisdom. He then described His favor toward the believers: some of the Quran was abrogated, and some was caused to be forgotten—as the transmitted reports indicate. What He, glorified be He, caused to be forgotten belongs to those passages whose rulings and recitation He abrogated. This differs from abrogated passages that are still recited, though their rulings have been abrogated, or passages whose recitation He abrogated but which were not forgotten. Abrogation and causing passages to be forgotten involve a reduction in what He revealed to His servants.

He, glorified be He, therefore explained that there is no diminution in this. Rather, whatever is abrogated or caused to be forgotten, Allah replaces with something better or similar. The believers thus continually enjoy a blessing from Allah that does not diminish but increases: when He brings something better, the blessing increases, and when He brings something similar, the blessing remains. Allah Most High says:

“Or cause it to be forgotten.”

He thus attributes the act of causing it to be forgotten to Himself, for this is not blameworthy, unlike forgetting what must be retained, which is blameworthy.