Qur'an 2:106

Qur'an 2:106

Verse's Information
Sura	al-Baqara
Verse	106
Juz'	1
Content Information
Cause of Revelation	Taunts of Jews and polytheists against the Prophet (s) due to changes in some Shar'i rulings
Place of Revelation	Medina
Topic	Theological
About	Annulment of some rulings due to expediency (maṣlaḥa) and their replacement with other rulings
Related Verses	Qur'an 16:101

Qur'an 2:106, known as the Verse of Abrogation (Arabic: آية النسخ), is the 106th verse of Sura al-Baqara which refers to the expiration of the time for acting upon a ruling and its replacement by other verses. According to Allama Tabataba'i in al-Mizan, the term "Naskh" (abrogation) is derived from this very verse, and if a verse of the Quran is abrogated, its Shar'i ruling is annulled, but its eloquence and miraculous nature remain. The Verse of Abrogation is considered a proof of God's sovereignty over rulings and His capability to discern the interests (maṣāliḥ) of His servants; believers should not doubt the issue of the abrogation of rulings.

“ مَا نَنْسَخْ مِنْ آيَةٍ أَوْ نُنْسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا ۗ أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

For any verse that We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring another which is better than it, or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah has power over all things? ” — Qur'an 2: 106

The occasion of revelation of the Verse of Abrogation is stated to be the taunts of polytheists and Jews against the Prophet (s). These individuals considered the abrogation of certain commands or the Change of Qibla from Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) to the Ka'ba as a sign of contradiction in the Prophet's (s) views, claiming that the Quran was the speech of Muhammad, not the speech of God. For this reason, the Verse of Abrogation was revealed to refute their claim.

Several points regarding abrogation have been mentioned under the Verse of Abrogation:

• Abrogation is not limited to Shar'i rulings; it also exists in Takwini (existential) matters.
• The abrogator (nasikh) will possess whatever perfection and expediency the abrogated (mansukh) possessed.
• The apparent incompatibility and contradiction between the abrogator and the abrogated is resolved by the common interest (maṣlaḥa) existing in both; because the expediency of the abrogator replaces the expediency of the abrogated. For example, if a Prophet passes away and another Prophet is sent, the rulings brought by the new Prophet are in accordance with the requirements of the new era and replace the past rulings which were effective in their own time. Therefore, there is no contradiction between the abrogator and the abrogated. Regarding abrogating and abrogated rulings issued during the time of a single Prophet, there is also no contradiction; because one ruling was issued at one time due to a specific interest, and at another time, with the change of interest, a new ruling is issued.Regarding the word "mithliha" (similar to it) in the verse, it is asked: if a ruling is abrogated and a new ruling is enacted, the new ruling must be better; why then does the verse say the new ruling can be "similar" to the previous one? Would this not be futile? In response, it is said that a ruling might have effects and benefits for today, but with the change of conditions, it will no longer be effective and must be replaced by a new ruling. Therefore, this new ruling must be either better than the previous ruling or at least similar to it [in effectiveness for the new situation].