Who Holds the Real Power in Islam?
How Abrogation Hands Divine Authority to Fallible Men
Islam claims the Qur’an is the eternal, unaltered word of God—"clear," "fully detailed," and "a guidance for mankind." Yet buried beneath that bold claim lies a doctrine that shatters its foundations: abrogation (naskh). Abrogation allows later verses to cancel earlier ones, meaning that parts of the Qur’an are no longer valid—despite still being in the text.
But who decides what has been abrogated? Who gets to determine which verses are eternal and which were just placeholders? The answer reveals a profound flaw in the structure of Islamic authority: it is not Allah, but the scholars, jurists, and hadith transmitters who hold the real power.
What Is Abrogation?
Abrogation is the concept that Allah sent certain verses for a specific time or situation, only to later replace them with more suitable ones. Verses like these serve as the doctrinal basis:
“Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than it or similar to it.” (Q 2:106)
“Allah eliminates what He wills or confirms.” (Q 13:39)
While these verses state that abrogation happens, they don’t tell you which verses were abrogated or by what. That’s left entirely to post-Qur’anic sources.
The Hidden Power Structure: Tafsir Writers and Legal Theorists
Since the Qur’an doesn’t clearly state which verses were abrogated, Muslim scholars developed their own methods of determining abrogation:
Tafsir literature (e.g., Ibn Kathir, Al-Suyuti, Al-Qurtubi)
Hadith narrations allegedly quoting Muhammad or companions
Legal manuals and usul al-fiqh methodology
This means that fallible human interpreters decide which parts of the supposed eternal Qur’an are still valid. These scholars effectively become divine editors, deciding what Allah’s real message is.
📚 Example: Peace vs. Violence
Peaceful verses like:
"There is no compulsion in religion." (Q 2:256)
"To you your religion, and to me mine." (Q 109:6)
…were declared abrogated by later violent verses like:
“Kill the polytheists wherever you find them.” (Q 9:5)
This conclusion doesn’t come from the Qur’an—it comes from Al-Suyuti, Al-Nasafi, and others. According to Al-Itqan, Q 9:5 alone abrogated over 124 verses.
Consequences: Why This Should Alarm You
1. The Qur’an Is Not Self-Sufficient
If you need scholars, hadith, and legal theory to know which parts of the Qur’an still apply, then it’s not a stand-alone guide. That contradicts its own claim to be “fully detailed” (Q 6:114).
2. Human Beings Control the Divine Message
If Allah’s words can only be understood, cancelled, or applied through the authority of jurists, then scholars—not God—control Islamic law and theology. This destroys the illusion of divine objectivity.
3. Moral Relativism Becomes Law
Is there “no compulsion in religion,” or should non-Muslims be fought “until they pay the jizya in humiliation” (Q 9:29)? Depends on who you ask—and which century they lived in.
Islam’s moral framework becomes a shifting target, dictated by legal schools and theologians who interpret abrogation to serve evolving social and political goals.
4. Peaceful Verses Are a PR Tool, Not Doctrine
Modern apologists quote Meccan, peaceful verses for Western audiences—knowing full well that classical jurists considered those verses abrogated.
It’s a theological bait-and-switch:
Public-facing Islam quotes the peace.
Legal-facing Islam enforces the sword.
Who Are These Power-Brokers?
Let’s name names. Here are a few influential scholars who catalogued abrogated verses:
| Scholar | Work | Notable Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Suyuti (d. 1505) | Al-Itqan fi 'Ulum al-Qur'an | Claimed Q 9:5 abrogated 124+ verses |
| Makki ibn Abi Talib (d. 1045) | al-Idah fi Nasikh wa Mansukh | Listed 66 abrogated verses |
| Al-Nahhas (d. 949) | Nasikh al-Qur’an | Proposed around 138 abrogations |
| Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 1201) | Nawāsikh al-Qur’an | Arguably the most detailed catalogue |
These scholars are not marginal—they are mainstream, relied upon by all major Islamic legal schools.
Conclusion: The Divine Message Hijacked
Islam claims the Qur’an is the unchanged, eternal word of God. But if abrogation is real, then:
Parts of the Qur’an are invalid.
The book contradicts itself.
Human scholars must intervene to explain what God “really” meant.
That means the divine message is not in the text—it’s in the hands of those interpreting it. The Qur’an becomes a clay tablet, reshaped by centuries of tafsir, fiqh, and political necessity.
If the Qur’an needs editors, then it cannot be eternal.
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