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Allah’s wisdom and mercy toward His servants is that He legislates for them whatever He—exalted is He—knows will secure the interests of their religion and their worldly life. Since those interests vary with circumstances and times, a given ruling may be the most beneficial for people in one period or situation, while another ruling is better in a different period or situation. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
As for the actual occurrence of abrogation in the Sacred Law, its proofs include:
- The Almighty’s words: “Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring forth one better than it or one equal to it.” ⦗Q 2:106⦘
- His words, Most High: “Now Allah has lightened your burden.” ⦗Q 8:66⦘ and: “So now, lie with them.” ⦗Q 2:187⦘ These are explicit texts indicating that the previous rulings were changed.
- The Prophet ﷺ said, “I had forbidden you to visit graves; now visit them.” (1) This is a clear text abrogating the earlier prohibition on visiting graves.
What cannot be abrogated
Abrogation is impossible in the following cases:
- Reports, because abrogation concerns legal rulings. To abrogate one of two reports would entail that one of them is false, and falsehood is inconceivable in the reports conveyed by Allah and His Messenger—unless a ruling is expressed in the form of a report. In that event, abrogation is not precluded, as in the Almighty’s words: “If there are twenty steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred.” ⦗Q 8:65⦘ This is phrased as information but its meaning is a command, and thus
(1) Muslim, no. 977, Book of Funerals, chap. 36: “The Prophet ﷺ sought his Lord’s permission to visit his mother’s grave.” See also Muslim, Book of Sacrificial Animals, chap. 5, on the Prophet’s initial prohibition against eating sacrificial meat after three days, its subsequent abrogation, and the continued permissibility of eating it as long as one wishes.
حكمة الله ورحمته بعباده أن يشرع لهم ما يعلم تعالى أن فيه قيام مصالح دينهم ودنياهم، والمصالح تختلف بحسب الأحوال والأزمان، فقد يكون الحكم في وقت أو حال أصلح للعباد، ويكون غيره في وقت أو حال أخرى أصلح، والله عليم حكيم.
وأما وقوعه شرعاً فلأدلة منها:
١ - قوله تعالى: ﴿مَا نَنْسَخْ مِنْ آيَةٍ أَوْ نُنْسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا﴾ [البقرة: من الآية ١٠٦]
٢ - قوله تعالى: ﴿الْآنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنْكُم﴾ [لأنفال: من الآية ٦٦] ﴿فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنّ﴾ [البقرة: من الآية ١٨٧] فإن هذا نص في تغيير الحكم السابق.
٣ - قوله ﷺ: «كنت نهيتكم عن زيارة القبور فزوروها» (١) فهذا نص في نسخ النهي عن زيارة القبور.
ما يمتنع نسخه:
يمتنع النسخ فيما يأتي:
١ - الأخبار، لأن النسخ محله الحكم، ولأن نسخ أحد الخبرين يستلزم أن يكون أحدهما كذباً، والكذب مستحيل في أخبار الله ورسوله، اللهم إلا أن يكون الحكم أتى بصورة الخبر، فلا يمتنع نسخه كقوله تعالى: ﴿إِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَابِرُونَ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ﴾ [لأنفال: من الآية ٦٥] الآية، فإن هذا خبر معناه الأمر، ولذا جاء
(١) رواه مسلم «٩٧٧» كتاب الجنائز، ٣٦ - باب استئذان النبي ﷺ ربه ﷿ في زيارة قبر أمه.
وانظر: كتاب الأضاحي، ٥ - باب بيان ما كان من النبي عن أكل لحوم الأضاحي بعد ثلاث في أول الإسلام وبيان نسخة وإباحته إلى متى شاء.