Abrogation in the Qur}}}an and Islamic Law [Paperback]

This book examines in detail the concept of abrogation in the Quran, which has played a major role in the development of Islamic law and has implications for understanding the history and integrity of the Quranic text. The term has gained popularity in recent years, as Muslim groups and individuals claim that many passages about tolerance in the Quran have been abrogated by others that call on Muslims to fight their enemies. Author Louay Fatoohi argues that this could not have been derived from the Quran, and that its implications contradict Quranic principles. He also reveals conceptual flaws in the principle of abrogation as well as serious problems with the way it was applied by different scholars.

Abrogation in the Quran and Islamic Lawtraces the development of the concept from its most basic form to the complex and multi-faceted doctrine it has become. The book shows what specific problems the three modes of abrogation were introduced to solve, and how this concept has shaped Islamic law. The book also critiques the role of abrogation in rationalizing the view that not all of the Quranic revelation has survived in the mushaf , or the written record of the Quran. This role makes understanding abrogation an essential prerequisite for studying the history of the Quranic text.

Introduction 1. A History of the Concept of Abrogation 2. Abrogation in Scriptures Before the Quran 3. The Term Naskh in the Quran 4. The Concept of Naskh in the Quran 5. Conceptual and Implementational Differences of Abrogation 6. Legal Abrogation 7. The Verse of the Sword 8. Does the Mushaf Contain All of the Quran? 9. Did the Prophet Forget Verses? 10. Legal-Textual Abrogation 11. Textual Abrogation I: The Stoning Verse 12. Textual Abrogation II: The Five-Suckling Verse and the Anomalous Reading of the Oath Breaking Verse 13. Abrogation of the Sunna 14. Islamic Law: A New Reading 15. Conclusion: The Myth oflc+