@tanveer
In truth, the fact that some of the rulings in the Qur'an have
been abrogated actually represents one of the evidences to prove its
divinity. The Qur'an is the last book that has been revealed by God for
the guidance of humanity. It is a book that puts forward wholly
practicable methods in the moulding of an ideal society on the basis of
a moral code which it, in itself, dictates. It is, in addition, a book that
seeks to show how, in the process of creating an exemplary and ideal
society out of nothing but the most primitive human conditions, the
divine law had influenced the making of such a society in the various
stages of its evolution. The Qur'an does not contain certain numbered
injunctions like the Ten Commandments that were revealed by God. It
is, in fact, the compendium of laws that grew with the beat and rhythm
of an evolving society that would eventually result in the fruitful
transformation of an entire people. In that chain of legislation, it is but
natural that the rulings that came at a time of total decadence will
become irrelevant when the society has gone past that stage in its
evolution. It is this loss of relevance that is, in fact, implied in the term
‘abrogation.’
Consider, for instance, the verses related to the consumption of
intoxicants. It must be remembered that the Qur'an was revealed to a
society that virtually bathed in wine. It was not about wine, which
turned man into beast, that the Qur'an first talked to them about. The
Qur'an firstly impressed upon their minds the purest conception about
God and of the unflinching awareness of the Hereafter. Indeed, the
Qur'an had, as the first step, sought to create a readiness in submitting
one’s entire life before the Creator. It was after having created a
mind-set to which the acceptance of all legislations that were confirmed
to have been issued from God had become easy that the Qur'an
declared: “They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say:
‘In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is
greater than the profit.’†(Qur'an 2:219)
This was the first stage. The Qur'an’s approach here has been
to first seek to show the benefits, or otherwise, of a thing and to make
it clear that the sin in it would be greater than any benefit that may
accrue thereof.
With this verse, the society, now trained in alienating itself from
sin and in moving along the path of virtue, soon begins to free itself
from the vice-like grip of intoxicants and gambling. It was then that
the second verse was revealed: “O ye who believe! Approach not
prayers in a state of intoxication, until ye can understand all
that say ...†(Qur'an 4:43)
The prayer constitutes a conservation with the Lord Creator.
However, many a man approached prayer in a state of intoxication.
Indeed, the degree of their slavery to intoxicants can be seen from this
single fact. The Qur'an had then made the second step towards
achieving the goal of a society that was free of intoxicants. Prayer
must be made only with the acute awareness of that which is being
said in the conservation with God; with the mind and heart solemnly
influenced by that which is being uttered therein. Briefly put, therefore,
prayer must never be in a state of intoxication.
With the arrival of the second ruling a good section of those
conscious of God were freed of their slavery to intoxicating drinks.
They resolved, thenceforth, that they would, at least, abstain from
intoxicants during the times of the five daily prayers. It was then that
the third ruling, which sought to fully abolish all intoxicants, was finally
revealed.
“O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, sacrificing
to stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination - of
Satan’s handiwork: Eschew such (abomination), that ye may
prosper. Satan’s plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred
between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you
from the remembrance of Allah, and from prayer: will ye not
then abstain?†(Qur'an 5:90,91)
With the revelation of this verse, the other verses that were
revealed earlier had now become irrelevant. They were, in fact, verses
that had been revealed for the creation of an intoxicant-free society
which were revealed in the two stages of the society’s evolution. It
can, therefore, be said that with the coming of this verse, the other
two verses had, for all practical purposes, become abrogated.
It was mentioned earlier that even this abrogation serves only
to stress the divine nature of the Qur'an. Prophet Muhammad (e)
was, himself, never one to take intoxicating drinks even before his
attainment of prophethood. Even if he were to put forward a law
against intoxicants which was of his own making, it would have been
in a fashion that straightaway prohibited all intoxicants forthwith.
However, it is the Creator who is best aware of the intricacies as well
as of the methodology of variation of the human mind. It is for that
same reason that He brought a law into effect stage by stage. When
such is the implementative process, therefore, it is only natural that the
laws issued in the earlier stage tend to be abrogated at a later stage.
This is why it has been said that the Qur'an makes it clear that these
abrogations are, indeed, from Allah, the Omniscient.