Myths About “The Verse of the Sword”

 Law  43 Responses »
Mar 232014
 
The so-called “the verse of the sword” is said to have abrogated numerous Qur'anic verses that call on the Muslims to be tolerant, forgiving, and patient, and to display such positive attributes toward non-Muslims that allowed Muslims to live peacefully with various religious groups for 1,400 years. This claim has become very popular among Muslim terrorist groups and individuals who use it to justify their atrocities. I shall review here a number of fundamental problems with this claim.

An Overview of “Abrogation in the Qur’an and Islamic Law: A Critical Study of the Concept of ‘Naskh’ and its Impact”

 Law, Qur'an  1 Response »
Dec 162012
 

This is a detailed chapter-by-chapter summary of the book “Abrogation in the Qur’an and Islamic Law: A Critical Study of the Concept of ‘Naskh’ and its Impact.” The summary explains the subject of each chapter and how the different chapters are linked to form a comprehensive study of abrogation.

Abrogation from Muslim and Non-Muslim Perspectives

 Law, Qur'an  No Responses »
Sep 232012
 

The overwhelming majority of Muslim scholars, past and modern, have accepted abrogation in both the Qur’an and the Sunna as an indisputable fact. Only a very small minority has rejected Qur’anic abrogation. We know this opposition existed because it is condemned and vilified in the earliest works on abrogation. But this ostensible consensus of the majority conceals enormous differences in the way abrogation is understood.

The Importance of Abrogation

 Law, Qur'an  2 Responses »
Sep 082012
 

“Naskh,” or “abrogation” as it is translated, has been the subject of numerous studies by Muslim scholars down the centuries. As the mechanism describing how divine rulings from the Qur’an and the actions and teachings of the Prophet (Sunna)1 were superseded by others from these sources, it is natural for naskh to acquire such prominence in Islamic sciences, particularly in Islamic law. Scholars, naturally, needed to know the chronological order of the revelations in order to identify which rulings were abolished and which ones were still operative.