Evaluating Hadith Evidence for Quranic Abrogation Claims

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Abrogation of Recitation in the Qur’an

By: Dr. Muhammad Akram Nadwi, Oxford

Disclaimer

This article has been translated by AI for accessibility purposes. For the original Arabic text, please refer to this link: <a href=”https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/5761.” target=”_blank”>https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/5761.

I received a question from Dr. Omar Taha:
“Assalamu Alaikum, Shaykh. How are you? I pray you are well. I am Omar Taha, one of your students and a teacher at Al-Salam Institute. I have a question regarding a hadith in Sahih Muslim. If you could kindly explain, may Allah bless you, Shaykh. The hadith seems to indicate the abrogation of Qur’anic recitation, but from your lessons, I understood that abrogation of Qur’anic recitation is not valid. How should we understand this hadith? JazakAllahu khairan, Shaykh.”

Response

I replied: I have previously explained the concept of abrogation in the Qur’an in two of my articles. I recommend reviewing them. Below, I will specifically address this hadith.

This hadith is recorded by Imam Muslim in his Sahih, under the chapter “If the son of Adam had two valleys of wealth, he would seek a third.” It is included in the Book of Zakah as a secondary narration and not considered a definitive source. The following are the hadiths related to this chapter, arranged sequentially:

1. Narrated by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If the son of Adam had two valleys of wealth, he would seek a third, and nothing will fill the belly of the son of Adam except dust. But Allah accepts the repentance of those who repent.”

This narration was transmitted by Abu Awana from Qatadah via three chains: Yahya ibn Yahya, Sa’id ibn Mansur, and Qutaybah ibn Sa’id.

2. Variation from Ibn Mas’ud:
It is narrated by Shu’bah from Qatadah: “I do not know if it was revealed as part of the Qur’an or if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say it as a statement.”

3. Narration by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him):
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If the son of Adam had a valley full of gold, he would wish for another, and nothing will fill the soul of the son of Adam except dust. But Allah accepts the repentance of those who repent.”

Ibn Abbas said: “I do not know if it was part of the Qur’an or not.”

4. Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari’s Testimony:
Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari said: *”We used to recite a Surah similar in length and severity to Surah Bara’ah (At-Tawbah) which I have now forgotten. From it, I remember: ‘If the son of Adam had two valleys of wealth, he would seek a third, and nothing will fill his belly except dust.’ We also used to recite another Surah which I have now forgotten, but I remember: ‘O you who believe, why do you say that which you do not do? It will be recorded as a testimony against you.’”

Analysis of the Hadiths

Imam Muslim relied on the narrations of Anas and Ibn Abbas, prioritizing the former due to its widespread transmission.

1. Anas’s Narration:

Qatadah transmitted it without indicating it was part of the Qur’an.

Shu’bah questioned if it was revealed or simply a saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), but did not confirm either.

2. Ibn Abbas’s Testimony:

He expressed uncertainty: “I do not know if it was part of the Qur’an or not.”

The uncertainty was further complicated by ambiguity in the chain, as some narrators speculated it was his own statement rather than a definitive attribution to the Prophet (peace be upon him).

3. Abu Musa’s Narration:

This narration, although mentioning forgotten verses, was not part of Sahih Muslim’s rigorous standards. It was recorded only as a supplementary witness.

Imam Al-Bukhari did not include it in his Sahih due to weaknesses in the chain, particularly involving Abu Harb ibn Abi Al-Aswad.

Conclusion

Hadiths like that of Abu Musa are insufficient for establishing rulings, let alone verifying something as part of the Qur’an. The Qur’an was revealed with absolute clarity and preserved through widespread transmission (tawatur), and these narrations do not meet that standard. The phrases cited lack the linguistic and rhetorical majesty characteristic of the Qur’an.

Thus, the claim of abrogated recitation (naskh al-tilawah) cannot be substantiated with such weak evidence. The matter requires further exploration, which I will address in greater detail in a forthcoming article, insha’Allah.