Verses Considered Abrogated by Shah Waliullah — First: On Abandoning Fighting

وہ آیتیں جنکو شاہ ولی اللہ نے منسوخ جانا ہے — پہلی آیت تَرک کے بارے میں

The Verses Shah Waliullah Considered Abrogated

Now I discuss those verses which Shah Waliullah (rahimahullah) has considered abrogated. Shah Sahib (rahimahullah) states: in my view, no Qur'anic verse of any ruling has been abrogated — but there are only four or five which I am compelled to consider thus. I shall now examine each of those verses one by one and argue for why they should not be considered abrogated.

First: Verses About Abandoning Fighting (Tark-e-Qital)

Shah Sahib (rahimahullah) states: in the first verse, regarding the abandonment of fighting, the verse presents an order to endure patiently and pardon — and later the Muslims were given permission to fight back against their oppressors. Shah Sahib considers the first verse abrogated by the verse of fighting. I submit in reply that this is not abrogation (naskh). The first verse was given for a specific context — to endure patiently and to forgive in that given situation. Later, when the Muslims had power and were attacked, the ruling for that different situation was given. Both rulings stand — each applies to its appropriate circumstance. The verse of patience applies to situations of weakness; the verse of fighting applies to situations of capability to defend. These are not contradictory; they are context-specific.

Allah Most High said — and this verse is at the heart of this matter:

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ لَمَا آتَيْتُكُم مِّن كِتَابٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُّصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُ قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمْ إِصْرِي قَالُوا أَقْرَرْنَا قَالَ فَاشْهَدُوا وَأَنَا مَعَكُم مِّنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ

'And remember when Allah took the covenant of the prophets: whenever I give you a scripture and wisdom, and then a Messenger comes to you confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and support him. He said: Do you affirm and accept My covenant on this condition? They said: We affirm. He said: Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.' (Āl ʿImrān 3:81). This verse makes it manifest that the prophets of earlier religious communities had received their dispensation for a limited time. When the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him) came, that era ended. All those earlier religions were not abrogated — rather, for all of them the period had come to an end, and the injunctions too remained no longer in force. Shah Sahib (rahimahullah) says: 'I consider only four or five of those verses abrogated — let us now examine the five verses one by one.'