Is Quran Created Or Uncreated
Verse 106 of Chapter 2 has nothing to do with abrogation of Quranic verses. It is a response to Jews criticism on changes in Sharia made by Allah in Quran. If we give due consideration to the context and flow of verse, it becomes evident that it has nothing to do with so-called abrogation of Quranic verses [1] . ________________________________ [1] . وَلَمَّا جَاءهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ نَبَذَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَابَ كِتَابَ اللّهِ وَرَاء ظُهُورِهِمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَاتَّبَعُواْ مَا تَتْلُواْ الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيْاطِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولاَ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلاَ تَكْفُرْ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُم بِضَآرِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلاَ يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُواْ لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاَقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْاْ بِهِ أَنفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ (١٠١- ٢ ١٠) وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُواْ واتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّه خَيْرٌ لَّوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ (١٠٣) يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَقُولُواْ رَاعِنَا وَقُولُواْ انظُرْنَا وَاسْمَعُوا ْوَلِلكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ مَّا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلاَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَاللّهُ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَن يَشَاء وَاللّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ (١٠٤-١٠٥) مَا نَنسَخْ مِنْ آيَةٍ أَوْ نُنسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِّنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللّهَ عَلَىَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللّهَ لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلاَ نَصِيرٍ (١٠٦-١٠٧) أَمْ تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَسْأَلُواْ رَسُولَكُمْ كَمَا سُئِلَ مُوسَى مِن قَبْلُ وَمَن يَتَبَدَّلِ الْكُفْرَ بِالإِيمَانِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَاء السَّبِيلِ (١٠٨ ) And [this also happened now; so] when a Prophet came to them from God in confirmation of the predictions which were with them, some of those to whom the Book was given cast off the Book of God over their backs [in such a manner] as if they did not even know about it and [in order to harm the Prophet] went after what the devils would recite and chant4 in the age of Solomon’s kingdom. [They attribute such chants and recitals to Solomon] – whereas Solomon never was guilty of disbelief; it is the devils who were guilty of disbelief – they would teach people witchcraft. And [they went after] that which was revealed to the angels Harut and Marut in Babylon. Yet they would never instruct anyone without saying to him beforehand: ‘We are a test for you; do not enter into disbelief. Yet they would still learn from them the charm by which they could create discord between husband and wife. And the fact of the matter is that they can harm none with what they learnt except by God’s permission. [They knew that full well] and [still] they would learn that which would not profit them but what would harm them; yet they knew that anyone who buys such things has no share in the life to come. Vile is that for which they have sold their souls, if they but knew it! Had they embraced faith and adopted righteousness, far better for them would God’s reward have been, if they but knew it. [To protect yourself from their mischief] Believers [when you sit in the company of the Prophet (sws)], do not say Raina, but say Unzurna [and whatever is said to you] pay due attention to it and [remember that] a woeful punishment awaits these disbelievers. The disbelievers among the People of the Book and the Idolaters do not want that any blessings be sent down to you from your Lord. [These fools do not know that] God chooses whom He wants for His mercy and [do not know that] God is abounding in grace. [They object: ‘Why do We alter the Shariah mentioned in the Torah. Tell them:] Whatever verse [of this book] We abrogate [22] or cause to be forgotten [23] , We replace it [in the Quran] by a better one or one similar [24] . Do you [O People] not know that God has power over all things? [Consequently, after giving the Israelites the Shariah he has not given up His right to alter it]. Do you not know that it is God who has sovereignty over the heavens and the earth, [so He will give the Shariah to whomever He pleases] and [if you do not accept His decision then] there is no one [in this world] besides God who is your friend and neither is there anyone to help you. [O believers, while following them] do you want to ask those things from your Prophet which were once asked from Moses? [25] [You should know that this is not the way of the believers] and [you should also know that] he who exchanges faith with disbelief has strayed from the straight path [26] . (2:101-108) (Excerpt from Quranic Exegesis: Javed Ahmed Ghamidi) (Translated by Dr. Shehzad Saleem) Foot Notes : [22] . Abrogation is replacement of a directive of the Shariah by another one. [23] . The actual Quranic word used is ‘اِنْسَاء’ which means ‘to cause to forget’. The reference is to those directives of the Torah to which the Jews showed indifference and which, as retribution, were obliterated from their minds. [24] . The actual Quranic words used are ‘نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِّنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا’. The particle ‘أَوْ’ is for division. The implication is that the principles of the Torah which were abrogated because of evolution of society and change of circumstances were replaced by better ones and the ones that were caused to be forgotten were replaced by similar ones. None of these two sorts of replacement can be objected to. The first of them was a natural requisite of the change in circumstances and the other was necessary to compensate for the loss caused by the Jews to the corpus of religion. [25] . The Quranic word used is ‘سُؤَال’. It has several meanings in the Arabic language. Here it is evident from the way it is used in the given context that it means questions which are actually objections. [26] . Just as in the previous verse the Jews were warned, here people among the Muslims who were behaving as their representatives are warned. Since it was the Jewish mind that was found in the background of these questions, hence the Quran by very subtly alluding to the fact that such questions were asked from Moses (sws) as well has warned these elements among the Muslims that He is well aware of these evil promptings and conspiracies.