| An-Nahl: (101-102) And when We substitute a verse...

Know that the Almighty has begun, in this section, to recount the doubts raised by those who deny the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). This section contains several issues:

Issue 1:

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When a verse containing severity was revealed, and then a milder verse was revealed afterward, the disbelievers of Quraysh would say: "By Allah, Muhammad is only mocking his companions! Today he commands one thing, and tomorrow he forbids it. He only says these things from himself."

Then Allah Almighty revealed: {And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse} (16:101).

The meaning of tabdīl (substitution) is removing something and placing another in its stead. Substituting a verse means removing it and replacing it with another verse, which is its abrogation by another.

The phrase {And Allah knows best what He sends down} is an interjection inserted into the speech. The meaning is: Allah knows best what He sends down—whether it is abrogating or abrogated, severity or mitigation. That is, He knows all of this concerning the welfare of the servants. This is a reprimand to the disbelievers for their saying: {You are but a fabricator}, meaning: If He knows best what is being sent down, why do they attribute fabrication to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) because of substitution and abrogation?

The phrase {But most of them do not know} means they do not know the reality of the Qur'an, the wisdom behind abrogation and substitution, and that these are for the welfare of the servants—just as a physician might prescribe a drink for a patient, then after a period, forbid it and prescribe the opposite.

The phrase {Say, the Holy Spirit has brought it down from your Lord}—the explanation of the Holy Spirit (Rūḥ al-Qudus) was mentioned previously in Surah Al-Baqarah. Al-Kashshāf’s author said: Rūḥ al-Qudus is Gabriel (peace be upon him), attributed to al-Quds (the Pure), just as one says Hātim al-Jūd (Hātim the Generous) or Zayd al-Khayr (Zayd the Good). The meaning is the purified spirit. Al-Muqaddas means purified from water.

The preposition {from} in {from your Lord} relates to the Qur'an, meaning Gabriel brought down the Qur'an from your Lord {to make firm those who believe}—that is, to test them with abrogation so that when they affirm it as the truth from their Lord, their footing in the religion is strengthened, and their certainty is sound that Allah is Wise and does nothing except what is wise and correct.

{and as guidance and good tidings} are objects related to the purpose, coordinated with the implied meaning of li-yuthabbitū (to make firm). The meaning is: as a means of making them firm, guidance, and glad tidings. This implies that the opposites of these qualities will befall others.

Issue 2:

We have previously mentioned the view of Abū Muslim al-Iṣfahānī, who held that abrogation does not occur in this Law. According to him, the meaning here is: "When We substitute a verse in place of a verse in previous scriptures"—such as changing the Qibla from Jerusalem to the Kaaba—"the polytheists said: 'You are fabricating this substitution.'"

However, the rest of the exegetes hold that abrogation does occur in this Law, and the discussion regarding it will be covered exhaustively in all the Surahs.

Issue 3:

Al-Shāfi‘ī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The Qur'an is not abrogated by the Sunnah. He supported this by citing the verse: {And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse}. He argued that this implies that a verse is not abrogated except by another verse.

This view is weak because this verse indicates that Allah substitutes a verse with another verse, but it does not indicate that Allah does not substitute a verse except with another verse. Furthermore, Gabriel (peace be upon him) may bring down the Sunnah just as he brings down the verse. Also, the Sunnah may sometimes confirm a verse. Moreover, this verse is a narration of the words of the disbelievers, so how can a legal ruling be derived from it? And Allah knows best.

{And indeed, We know that they say, "It is only a human being who teaches him." The tongue of the one they refer to is foreign, while this [Qur'an] is in clear Arabic. Indeed, those who do not believe in the verses of Allah, Allah will not guide them, and for them is a painful punishment. Indeed, only those invent falsehood who do not believe in the verses of Allah, and it is those who are the liars.} (16:103-105)