But what about those Hadiths that admit that parts of the Quran has been corrupted. Apparently on Sahih muslim 2286, an entire chapter was lost!
Assalam alaikum
One of the favorite topics of missionaries is Abrogation in Qurān. Giving a notion as if abrogated verses were lost they try to put the authenticity of Qurān to doubt. Let’s today explain as to what abrogation is and what are the facts about specific narrations they bring forward?
What is abrogation and the Quranic scheme about it?
Now let me explain abrogation is and what it’s not as I know Christians normally tend to be very amazed at God abrogating His own verses. But unfortunately their amazement is only when it comes to Qurān.
When some rules are abrogated and replaced by some other rules then it means that Allah in His wisdom changed the rules. It is just like ‘…A physician prescribes a medicine for the patient in view of his present conditions, but he knows when the patient has been using it for two days, his conditions will change and require a new medicine – with this realization, he prescribes a medicine suitable for that day, but two days later, when circumstances have changed, he prescribes a new one. The physician can easily give the patient written instructions for the whole course of treatment, with all the changes in medicine duly indicated. But this would be putting too much burden on already feeble patient and there would also be danger of harm through a possible error or misunderstanding.’ (Ma’ariful Qurān vol.1 under 2:106)This is a manifestation how Allāh causes people to forget the previous revelations He intends not to be retained and preserved.
Further about abrogation Allāh Almighty says in the Qurān;
مَا نَنْسَخْ مِنْ آَيَةٍ أَوْ نُنْسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
“None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah Hath power over all things?” (Qurān 2:106)
Sometimes it was plainly told that a verse previously revealed stands abrogated and sometimes before such any announcement people were made to forget it. An account of it is given in a Hadīth which says that a person tried to recite a sūrah but he couldn’t remember it except for ‘Bismillahi Ar-Rahmān Al-Rahīm’ so next morning he came to the Holy Prophet (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) to ask about it and similarly some other people also as the same happened to them as well. So the Holy Prophet (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) said in response:
نسخت البارحة
‘This was abrogated yesterday.’
(Mushkil Al-Athār 5/35 Hadīth 1711. the narration is authentic. See Footnote to Al-Ittiqān section 47 p.1463 pub. Saudi Ministry of Islamic publications)
The hadeeth says they were 300, the best of them, none of them said, o wait it's not abrogated, they were hufaaz.
"
We used to recite a sūrah which resembled in length and severity to (Sūrah) Bar’āt."
iCertainly we do not find a sūrah with this verse this verse in the Qurān now. So what happened of it? Infact it was abrogated and another sūrah was revealed instead;
عَنْ أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ لِابْنِ آدَمَ وَادِيًا مِنْ ذَهَبٍ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ وَادِيَانِ وَلَنْ يَمْلَأَ فَاهُ إِلَّا التُّرَابُ وَيَتُوبُ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَنْ تَابَ وَقَالَ لَنَا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ أَنَسٍ عَنْ أُبَيٍّ قَالَ كُنَّا نَرَى هَذَا مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ حَتَّى نَزَلَتْ أَلْهَاكُمْ التَّكَاثُرُ
Narrated Anas bin Mālik the Messenger of Allāh (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) said; "If the son of Adam were given a valley full of gold, he would love to have a second one; and if he were given the second one, he would love to have a third, for nothing fills the belly of Adam's son except dust. And Allah forgives he who repents to Him."
Ubai said, "We considered this as a saying from the Qur'an till the Sura (beginning with) 'The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you..' (102.1) was revealed."
(Sahīh Bukhari, Kitābul Riqāq, Hadīth 5959)
Now if you compare the known part of the abrogated sūrah, 'If the son of Adam were given a valley full of gold, he would love to have a second one; and if he were given the second one, he would love to have a third, for nothing fills the belly of Adam's son except dust' with Quran chapter 102 'The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious things), Until ye visit the graves'...Both these clearly relate to man's insatiable crave for worldly riches. It thus complies with the general principle of abrogation; 'but We substitute something better or similar.’
The discussion above proves abrogation doesn’t cause any doubt about the preservation and authenticity of the Holy Qurān. Only such parts have been taken away which were not required to be preserved and were dropped according to the Divine plan after verses similar or better were revealed instead.
