Exposing Islam

Part 3 – Abrogation: God Changes His Mind

When the Qur’an’s Own Doctrine Dismantles Its Claim to Perfection

The Claim of a Perfect, Eternal Qur’an

One of Islam’s central boasts is that the Qur’an is the unchanging, eternal word of Allah — perfect from the moment it was “sent down” to Muhammad, preserved without alteration, and relevant for all times and places.

Muslim preachers describe the Qur’an as timeless, flawless, and complete. They often contrast it with earlier scriptures, which they say were corrupted or altered.

But hidden in plain sight is a doctrine that Muslims themselves admit: abrogation (naskh).
This is the belief that Allah replaced or canceled earlier Qur’anic verses with later ones — sometimes reversing rulings entirely.

If the Qur’an is perfect and eternal, why would God need to change His own words?

What the Qur’an Says About Abrogation

The Qur’an openly acknowledges abrogation:

Surah 2:106 – “We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent?”
Surah 16:101 – “And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse — and Allah is most knowing of what He sends down — they say, ‘You, [O Muhammad], are but an inventor [of lies].’”

These verses admit two key points:

Some Qur’anic verses were removed or replaced.
Even in Muhammad’s lifetime, people accused him of making it up because of the changes.

The Logical Problem

If the Qur’an is the eternal word of God, then:

Every verse should be equally perfect.
God should not need to “improve” His own revelation.
Changing divine laws would imply that earlier ones were less than perfect.

Yet abrogation means earlier verses were inferior to what came later — otherwise, why replace them?
This raises the uncomfortable implication: Was God learning as He went?

Examples of Abrogation in the Qur’an

1. Alcohol Rulings

Initial Permission – Surah 16:67: Alcohol is described as a good provision from Allah.
Partial Restriction – Surah 4:43: Don’t approach prayer while intoxicated.
Total Ban – Surah 5:90: Alcohol is “an abomination of Satan’s handiwork” — avoid it completely.

If the final ruling was the correct one, why didn’t God give it from the start?

2. Change in Qibla (Direction of Prayer)

Early Muslims prayed facing Jerusalem.
Later, Surah 2:144 changed the qibla to Mecca.
This wasn’t just logistical — it became a central pillar of Islamic identity.

If the earlier direction was correct, why change it? If it wasn’t correct, why command it in the first place?

3. Warfare Verses

Peaceful Coexistence – Surah 2:256: “There is no compulsion in religion.”
Defensive Fighting – Surah 22:39: Permission to fight if wronged.
Offensive Fighting – Surah 9:5: “Kill the polytheists wherever you find them…”

Classical Islamic scholars like Ibn Kathir acknowledge that Surah 9:5 abrogates more than 100 earlier verses about peace and patience.

4. Punishment for Adultery

Qur’anic Law – Surah 24:2: 100 lashes for fornication.
Missing Verse – Umar ibn al-Khattab said the “stoning verse” was part of the Qur’an but is no longer there (Sahih al-Bukhari 6829).
This creates an unresolved contradiction in Islamic law: Qur’an says lashes, hadith says stoning.

Islamic Scholarship on Abrogation

Abrogation is not a fringe theory — it is mainstream Islamic doctrine.

Al-Suyuti (Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Qur’an): Lists dozens of examples where one verse abrogates another.
Al-Nasikh wal-Mansukh (The Abrogating and Abrogated) by Ibn al-Jawzi: Entire works in Islamic scholarship are devoted to cataloguing abrogated verses.
Imam al-Shafi’i (founder of Shafi’i school of Islamic law): Defended abrogation as part of divine wisdom.

Muslim Apologetic Responses

When confronted, apologists typically give three main defenses:

1. “Abrogation was always part of God’s plan.”

Problem: This still implies earlier verses were inferior or temporary — contradicting the claim that every Qur’anic verse is timeless.

2. “It’s not real abrogation, just contextual revelation.”

Problem: Islamic scholars themselves distinguish between contextual verses and outright replacement. Surah 2:106 explicitly says God removes verses.

3. “God was guiding Muslims gradually.”

Problem: This assumes human weakness dictated God’s revelation, which contradicts His omnipotence. Why not give the perfect law from the start?

Theological Implications

Eternal Word Becomes Time-Bound
If some verses were only valid for a short time, the Qur’an is not equally relevant for all generations.
Trust in the Qur’an’s Stability is Broken
If God can remove verses, what prevents more from being removed or altered?
Undermines the “Better than the Bible” Claim
Muslims mock the Bible for having multiple authors and revisions, yet the Qur’an openly admits to internal revision.

The Bigger Picture

Abrogation explains many of Islam’s apparent contradictions:

Peaceful verses vs. violent verses
Early tolerance vs. later exclusivity
Gradual restrictions on practices like alcohol and fasting

But it does so at a cost: it destroys the Qur’an’s claim to be perfect, eternal, and unchanging.

Conclusion

The doctrine of abrogation is Islam’s admission slip that the Qur’an is not what it claims to be.
It is not a single, flawless, timeless revelation — it is a collection of evolving rulings that changed based on circumstances in Muhammad’s life.

If the Qur’an were truly divine, there would be no need for replacement verses.
If God’s words were perfect from eternity past, they would not need improvement in the 7th century.

Next in the series: Part 4 – Missing Verses: What the Sources Admit Was Lost