The Claim: Allah's Words Never Change
The Quran repeatedly emphasizes that Allah's words are perfect, unchangeable, and eternal:
"And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can alter His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing." — Quran 6:115
"For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah. That is what is the great attainment." — Quran 10:64
"And recite, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. There is no changer of His words, and never will you find in other than Him a refuge." — Quran 18:27
These verses make an absolute claim: Allah's words cannot be changed, altered, or modified. They are eternal and unchangeable. This is a fundamental Islamic claim about the Quran's nature.
The Problem: The Quran Says Allah Does Change His Words
Despite these emphatic claims, the Quran also explicitly describes Allah changing, replacing, and abrogating his own revelations:
"We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent?" — Quran 2:106
"And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse - and Allah is most knowing of what He sends down - they say, 'You, [O Muhammad], are but an inventor [of lies].' But most of them do not know." — Quran 16:101
These verses explicitly describe Allah abrogating (naskh) and substituting verses. The Arabic word "naskh" means to cancel, abrogate, or replace. So Allah does change his words—he cancels previous verses and replaces them with new ones.
This is a direct, explicit contradiction. The Quran simultaneously claims:
1. Allah's words never change (6:115, 10:64, 18:27)
2. Allah does change his words through abrogation (2:106, 16:101)
Both cannot be true.
The Doctrine of Abrogation (Naskh)
Islamic scholars developed the doctrine of abrogation to deal with contradictions in the Quran. According to this doctrine, later verses can cancel earlier verses. This isn't a fringe belief—it's orthodox Islamic theology found in every major school of Islamic jurisprudence.
Classical scholars identified hundreds of abrogated verses. The exact number is disputed—some scholars say as few as 5, others as many as 500—but all agree that abrogation exists and is divinely ordained.
The most famous example is the progression of verses about alcohol:
Stage 1: Alcohol is neutral/good (16:67)
Stage 2: Don't pray while drunk (4:43)
Stage 3: Alcohol is completely forbidden (5:90-91)
According to abrogation doctrine, the final prohibition cancelled the earlier permissions. The earlier verses remain in the Quran's text but are no longer operative—they've been abrogated.
The Fundamental Problem
Abrogation creates massive theological problems for Islam:
1. It contradicts "no change" claims. You cannot simultaneously claim Allah's words never change and that Allah changes his words through abrogation. These are logically contradictory.
2. It implies Allah didn't know best initially. If Allah's original command was perfect, it wouldn't need replacement. If it wasn't perfect, Allah isn't omniscient. Either way, abrogation suggests divine limitation.
3. It makes the Quran unreliable. If some verses are abrogated, how do Muslims know which ones? Scholars disagree significantly. How can anyone trust they're following the right commands if some are secretly cancelled?
4. It contradicts "perfect preservation." Muslims claim the Quran is perfectly preserved. But if the meaning has changed through abrogation, what good is textual preservation? The words are preserved, but their authority and meaning have been cancelled.
5. It reveals circumstantial adaptation. The pattern of abrogation mirrors Muhammad's changing circumstances—peaceful verses when weak in Mecca, violent verses when powerful in Medina. This suggests human political adaptation, not eternal divine truth.
Examples of Problematic Abrogation
The Verse of the Sword (9:5) abrogates peace verses:
Many classical scholars argue that Quran 9:5 ("kill the polytheists wherever you find them") abrogated up to 124 peaceful verses. If true, this means the vast majority of peaceful verses Muslims quote are no longer operative. The Quran's message fundamentally changed.
The missing stoning verse:
Umar, the second caliph, stated that a verse prescribing stoning for adultery was originally in the Quran but is now missing from the text:
"Allah sent Muhammad with the Truth and revealed the Holy Book to him, and among what Allah revealed, was the Verse of the Rajam (the stoning of married person (male and female) who commits illegal sexual intercourse), and we did recite this Verse and understood and memorized it. Allah's Messenger did carry out the punishment of stoning and so did we after him. I am afraid that after a long time has passed, somebody will say, 'By Allah, we do not find the Verse of the Rajam in Allah's Book.'" — Sahih al-Bukhari 6829
So a verse was abrogated in recitation (removed from the text) but not in ruling (Muslims still practiced stoning). This demonstrates that abrogation involved actual loss of Quranic text.
Biblical Contrast
The Bible handles progressive revelation differently. God's moral character and essential commands remain consistent, while specific covenants and practices change according to God's plan:
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." — Hebrews 13:8
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." — James 1:17
When the New Covenant replaced the Old Covenant, this wasn't because God changed his mind or corrected an error. It was the fulfillment of God's eternal plan:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." — Matthew 5:17
The change from Old Covenant to New Covenant was always part of God's plan, prophesied centuries earlier:
"'The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.'" — Jeremiah 31:31
This is fundamentally different from Islamic abrogation, where Allah gives commands then cancels them based on changing circumstances, with no prior indication this was part of an eternal plan.
The Apologetic Responses
Muslim apologists offer several defenses, none of which resolve the contradiction:
"No one can change Allah's words, but Allah can change his own words." This is semantic games. If Allah changes his words, then his words do change. Saying "only Allah can change them" doesn't resolve the contradiction with verses claiming they never change.
"Abrogation was always part of Allah's plan." If so, why do the abrogation verses (2:106, 16:101) sound defensive, as if responding to criticism? And why didn't Allah simply reveal the final version from the beginning if he knew he'd cancel earlier verses?
"These verses mean no one can change Allah's words after they're revealed." But abrogation means Allah himself changes their operative status after revelation. The words remain textually, but their authority changes. That's still change.
Questions to Consider
- How can Allah's words both "never change" and be subject to abrogation?
- If abrogation was always planned, why do verses 2:106 and 16:101 sound defensive?
- Why would an omniscient God need to revise his commands based on circumstances?
- If hundreds of verses are abrogated, how can Muslims know they're following the right commands?
- Doesn't the pattern of peaceful verses in Mecca followed by violent verses in Medina suggest human political adaptation?
- What good is "perfect preservation" if the meaning has been changed through abrogation?
- How is Islamic abrogation different from Allah admitting he made mistakes?
Conclusion
The Quran contains a fundamental self-contradiction: it claims Allah's words never change while simultaneously describing Allah changing his words through abrogation. Muslim scholars developed the doctrine of abrogation to handle contradictions in the Quran, but this solution creates more problems than it solves.
Abrogation reveals that the Quran's practical meaning has changed significantly from its original revelation, undermining claims of perfect preservation. It suggests Allah either didn't know best initially or was adapting to Muhammad's changing political circumstances—neither option supports claims of omniscient divine authorship.
The contrast with biblical progressive revelation is significant. While the Bible presents God's plan unfolding according to eternal purpose, Islamic abrogation presents Allah revising commands based on circumstances. This is consistent with human authorship responding to changing conditions, not eternal divine truth.
Related articles: No Compulsion vs Kill Them, The Missing Verses