One of us may ask about an issue and be reminded of a verse or hadith to show how the text bears upon that issue. Although he has already memorized it, the text is recited to him so that its relevance to the matter in question becomes clear.

It has thus become clear that a substitute is provided for what Allah has deferred revealing, unlike what they already possessed that had not been abrogated, for the latter has no substitute. Even supposing that it would eventually be abrogated, its substitute would not be better than it while it remained in force. Likewise, the substitute for an abrogated passage is better than it. Most of the early generations used the expression “better than it” without qualification, just as it appears in the Quran, and none of them found this problematic.

In al-Wālibī’s commentary, it is explained as: “More beneficial to you and easier for you.” Regarding “We bring one better than it or like it,” Qatādah said: “A verse containing relief, a concession, a command, or a prohibition.” Neither of these two found any difficulty in its being better than the earlier verse. Rather, they explained the nature of its superiority. As discussed above, prescriptive speech varies in excellence according to what is required: when what is required is more beneficial to the person addressed, requiring it is better. Likewise, Allah’s mercy, which precedes His wrath, is better than His wrath. Their statements therefore affirm this superiority rather than deny it.

If it is objected:

“It is established that the Verse of the Throne is the greatest verse in Allah’s Book. Yet it was revealed in Sūrat al-Baqarah—which is unanimously agreed to be Medinan. Its revelation was therefore deferred, although nothing better than it or equal to it had been revealed before it.”

The reply is that there are several answers to this: