ABROGATION IN QURAN: ISLAM AHMADIYYA VIEWPOINT (REFUTATION)

Ahmadi Muslim presents Pope with the gift of a Quran

The history of this allegation is very old. It has been used by Islamaphobes to suggest that the older verses of The Holy Qu'ran which talk about peace were replaced and overruled by the latter verses on war. Muslims themselves disagree on this issue and at one time some scholars believed as many as 500 verses have been abrogated. Today, most agree that only a few have been abrogated while Ahmadi Muslims do not believe that any word or even letter of the Holy Qu'ran can ever be overruled or replaced. The allegation itself stems from this verse of The Holy Qu'ran:

Whatever a Verse (revelation) do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it. Know you not that Allah is able to do all things? (The Holy Qu'ran 2.106/107) 

However, the people who make this allegation fail to consider the context of this verse. Just take a look at the unedited verse that directly precedes this one:

Neither those who disbelieve among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) nor Al-Mushrikun (the disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, idolaters, polytheists, pagans, etc.) like that there should be sent down unto you any good from your Lord. But Allah chooses for His Mercy whom He wills. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.(The Holy Qu'ran 2.105/106)

Clearly the subject under discussion in these two verses is that of the desire of those who had the old book/law of The Holy Bible (ie. Jews and Christians) not to see any new book or law being sent down by Allah. So in the following verse, when the Holy Qu'ran discusses the abrogation of revealed verses it is still referring to verses of The Holy Bible which are abrogated and replaced by those of The Holy Qu'ran. This belief is supported by the following verses:

When we substitute one revelation in place of another, and God is fully aware of what He reveals, they say, "You made this up!" Indeed, most of them do not know. Say (O Muhammad SAW) Ruh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)] has brought it (the Qur'an) down from your Lord with truth, that it may make firm and strengthen (the Faith of) those who believe and as a guidance and glad tidings to those who have submitted (to Allah as Muslims). And indeed We know that they (polytheists and pagans) say: "It is only a human being who teaches him (Muhammad SAW)." The tongue of the man they refer to is foreign, while this (the Qur'an) is a clear Arabic tongue. Verily! Those who believe not in the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, Allah will not guide them and theirs will be a painful torment. It is only those who believe not in the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, who fabricate falsehood, and it is they who are liars.(The Holy Qu'ran 16:101-106)

These verses reveal that the discussion of abrogation in The Holy Qu'ran was in response to several allegations of the Jews and Christians. Firstly, they said that The Holy Bible contains a divinely revealed law and The Holy Qu'ran's laws contradicts the laws of The Holy Bible and this must mean that, God forbid, The Holy Qu'ran is a false law. Secondly, they alleged that Muhammad s.a.w. had help in composing The Holy Qu'ran from certain persons familiar with the contents of The Holy Bible.

The verses above refute these allegations. They make it clear that the laws and commandments of The Holy Qu'ran abrogate those of The Holy Bible. They also refute the allegation Muhammad s.a.w. was taught the Qu'ran by men by pointing out that the men he was allegedly taught by weren't Arabs, whilst the Qu'ran was clearly written by an someone with a perfect knowledge of Arabic ie. God. Finally, the verses emphatically tell the world that those who disregard or attempt to abrogate even a single ayat or line of The Holy Qu'ran are on an extremely dangerous and false path. The allegation of abrogation contradicts even more passages of The Holy Qu'ran:

This is the Book (the Qur'an), whereof there is no doubt (The Holy Qu'ran 2:2/3)

Do they not then consider the Qur'an carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much contradictions. (The Holy Qu'ran 4:82/83)

Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur'an) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption).(The Holy Qu'ran 15:9/10)

If there is no doubt in the Qu'ran, how can parts of it been made redundant and pointless historical relics? If there are no contradictions in it, how can various verses have overruled others? If Allah has Himself promised to protect it from corruption, why did He reveal verses which He himself would later say were, well, corrupted? The people who make this allegation need to stop presenting ambiguous ahadith and seriously consider the verses we have presented (which are all taken from non-Ahmadi Muslim translations) as well as countless others in the Qu'ran which make it clear that it is not a book of which parts are ever to be abrogated.