each prescribed act is superior at its appointed time. Thus, before abrogation, praying towards Jerusalem was superior; after abrogation, praying towards the Kaʿbah is superior.
On this understanding, the verse can indeed be cited as evidence that only the Quran can abrogate the Quran. This is the position of al-Shāfiʿī and the better-known of the two positions reported from Imam Ahmad. Indeed, he explicitly stated that only a Quranic passage revealed subsequently can abrogate the Quran, and this is the position of the majority of his followers. For Allah has promised that whatever is abrogated must have a replacement equal or superior to it. He has likewise promised this regarding whatever He causes the believers to forget, and whatever He defers whose time for revelation has not yet come. All this indicates that the believer always has either the Quranic passage that is withdrawn or another equal or superior to it. If it were abrogated by the Sunnah without an equal or superior Quranic passage being brought, this would contradict Allah’s promise.
If it is said instead that such a passage comes after its abrogation by the Sunnah, there would be an interval between its abrogation and the provision of its replacement during which no replacement was present. This contradicts the intended meaning of the verse: either the withdrawn passage or one equal or superior to it must be available.
Moreover, His words, “We bring,” do not mean after a period of time. For it is already known that whatever He defers while intending to reveal it will be revealed after a period of time. Thus, when He states that, before revealing what He has deferred, He brings something equal or superior to it, we know that He does not defer it without providing a replacement. If it were permissible for a period to pass without a replacement, it would be more fitting for a passage not yet revealed to be without a replacement than for an abrogated passage. Since, then, a replacement for the former has been provided before the time of its revelation, to make the blessing complete, then for an abrogated passage to have a replacement from