وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَآ ءَايَةًۭ مَّكَانَ ءَايَةٍۢ ۙ وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُنَزِّلُ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُفْتَرٍۭ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Wa izaa baddalnaaa Aayatam makaana Aayatinw wal laahu a'lamu bimaa yunazzilu qaalooo innamaa anta muftar; bal aksaruhum laa ya'lamoon
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.
Themes in this ayah
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16:101Ayah 1128
12 ayahs in An-Nahl are strongly about the Quran and revelation. This is one of them.
← Previous on The Quran & revelation16:98So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].Next on The Quran & revelation →16:102Say, [O Muhammad], "The Pure Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth to make firm those who believe and as guidance and good tidings to the Muslims."
Tafsir
Scholars largely agree on this ayah
And when We exchange a verse in place of a different verse by abrogating it and revealing another for the welfare of God’s servants — and God knows best what He reveals — they say that is the disbelievers say to the Prophet s ‘You are just a fabricator’ a liar making it up yourself. Nay most of them do not know the true nature of the Qur’ān and the benefit to God’s servants of abrogation.
Related Hadiths
"Whatever a Verse (revelation) do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it." and He said: "And when We change a Verse in place of another --and Allah knows best what He sends down." and He said: "Allah blots out what He wills and confirms (what He wills). And with Him is the Mother of the Book."
"The first thing that was abrogated in the Qur'an was the Qiblah."
And He said: "And divorced women shall wait (as regards their marriage) for three menstrual periods." and He said: "And those of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the 'Iddah, if you have doubt (about their periods), is three months." So (some) of that was abrogated, (according to) His, Most High, saying: "And then divorce them before you have sexual intercourse with them, no 'Iddah have you to count in respect of them."
`Umar said, Ubai was the best of us in the recitation (of the Qur'an) yet we leave some of what he
recites.' Ubai says, 'PI have taken it from the mouth of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and will not leave for anything
whatever." But Allah said "None of Our Revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten but We
substitute something better or similar." 2.106
`Umar said, "Our best Qur'an reciter is Ubai and our best judge is `Ali; and in spite of this, we leave
some of the statements of Ubai because Ubai says, 'I do not leave anything that I have heard from
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) while Allah:
"Whatever verse (Revelations) do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten but We bring a better one or
similar to it." (2.106)
When we wrote the Holy Qur'an, I missed one of the Verses of Surat-al-Ahzab which I used to hear
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) reciting. Then we searched for it and found it with Khuza`ima bin Thabit Al-Ansari.
The Verse was:--
'Among the Believers are men Who have been true to Their Covenant with Allah, Of them, some have
fulfilled Their obligations to Allah (i.e. they have been Killed in Allah's Cause), And some of them
are (still) waiting" (33.23) So we wrote this in its place in the Qur'an.
This verse was revealed (in this way):" Guard the prayers and the 'Asr prayer." We recited it (in this very way) so long as Allah desired. Allah, then, abrogated it and it was revealed:" Guard the prayers, and the middle prayer." A person who was sitting with Shaqiq (one of the narrators in the chain of transmitters) said: Now it implies the 'Asr prayer. Upon this al-Bara' said: I have already informed you how this (verse) was revealed and how Allah abrogated it, and Allah knows best.
Imam Muslim said: Ashja'i narrated it from Sufyan al-Thauri, who narrated it from al-Aswad b. Qais, who narrated it from 'Uqba, who narrated it from al-Bara' b. 'Azib who said: We recited with the Prophet (ﷺ) (the above-mentioned verse like this, i. e. instead of Salat al- Wusta, Salat al-'Asr) for a certain period. as It has been mentioned (in the above-quoted hadith).
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