for this is being made to forget what Allah has withdrawn. Forgetting what He has commanded one to retain, however, is blameworthy. Allah Most High says:

“Thus did Our signs come to you, but you forgot them; and thus will you be forgotten today.”

Although this forgetting includes neglecting to act upon them while retaining them in memory, forgetting the verses altogether, so that their contents are no longer known, entails an even greater neglect of acting upon them. This, therefore, is blameworthy. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said in the hadith recorded in the Sunan collections:

“Whoever recites the Quran and then forgets it will meet Allah maimed.”

For this reason, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, disliked a person attributing forgetfulness to himself. He said in the hadith recorded by both al-Bukhārī and Muslim:

“How bad it is for someone to say, ‘I have forgotten such-and-such a verse!’ Rather, he has been made to forget it. Keep reviewing the Quran, for it escapes from people’s hearts more readily than camels escape their tethers.”

Some interpreters understood “Whatever verse We abrogate” to refer to a verse whose recitation and written text Allah retained while abrogating its ruling, and what He caused to be forgotten to refer to what He withdrew, so that it is no longer recited. Others included in the first category verses whose recitation was abrogated, even if they remained memorized.

The first interpretation is that of Mujāhid and the companions of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd. Scholars have transmitted through sound chains, from Ibn Abī Najīh, that Mujāhid explained “Whatever verse We abrogate” as follows: “We retain its written text and change its ruling.” He said: “This is also the view of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd.” “Or cause it to be forgotten” means “We erase it,” for what has been forgotten has not been retained.

Ibn Abī Hātim narrated through his chain of transmission, from ʿIkrimah, that Ibn ʿAbbās said:

“Revelation would sometimes come down to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, at night