Allah تعالى says:
“Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring forth one better than it or similar to it. Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent?” [Al-Baqarah 2:106]
Is it permissible to derive from this verse the name “Al-Nāsikh” (the Abrogator) and call Allah تعالى by this name?
Is abrogation an attribute of Allah تعالى because Allah سبحانه وتعالى attributed the act of abrogation to Himself?
If a verse is abrogated, is it correct to say that the Word of Allah was abrogated or that the Qur’an contains abrogating and abrogated verses? And is it permissible for Allah تعالى to abrogate whatever He wills from His Speech?
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Abrogation is established in the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jamā‘ah affirm its occurrence in general.
Therefore, it is correct to say that the revealed texts contain abrogating and abrogated texts. One may say that one verse is abrogating and another is abrogated, just as one may say that one hadith is abrogating and another is abrogated, according to what the evidence establishes.
As for the details and conditions governing abrogation, they must be referred to the revealed texts and the statements of the scholars concerning this subject.
One of the most important principles concerning the Names of Allah تعالى is that His Names are based solely on revelation. It is therefore not permissible to name Allah by a name with which He did not name Himself or with which His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم did not name Him.
There is no room in the Names of Allah for mere personal reasoning, preference, or rational analogy. Rather, the Names are established only by evidence from the Qur’an or authentic Sunnah.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him, stated that one must restrict the Names of Allah to what has been transmitted in the Qur’an and Sunnah, without adding to or taking away from them. Human reason cannot independently determine which Names Allah deserves, so one must limit oneself to the revealed texts.
Allah تعالى says:
“And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart—all of those will be questioned about.” [Al-Isrā’ 17:36]
And He says:
“And that you say about Allah that which you do not know.” [Al-A‘rāf 7:33]
Therefore, a Muslim should observe proper reverence toward Allah تعالى and should not affirm for Him a Name that has not been established in revelation.
An important principle is that the Names of Allah are more specific than His Attributes, and His Attributes are more specific than His Actions.
Thus, the chapter of Actions is broader than the chapter of Attributes, and the chapter of Attributes is broader than the chapter of Names.
This means that not every Attribute established for Allah may be used to derive a Name for Him, and not every action that Allah has informed us He performs may be turned into one of His Names.
For example, it is established that Allah تعالى comes, arrives, takes, holds, seizes, wills, and descends. These are actions and attributes mentioned by Allah or His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم.
However, it is not said that among the Names of Allah are:
“The One Who Comes, The One Who Arrives, The One Who Takes, The One Who Holds, The One Who Seizes, The One Who Wills, and The One Who Descends.”
Rather, we affirm what has been reported concerning His Attributes and Actions in a manner befitting Allah تعالى, without deriving from them Names that have not been established by revelation.
The Names of Allah تعالى indicate His Essence and the attribute of perfection contained in each Name.
For example:
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, stated that every Name of Allah indicates His Sacred Essence and entails one of His Attributes. Thus, Al-‘Azīz indicates His Essence together with His might, Al-Khāliq indicates His Essence together with His creation, and Ar-Raḥīm indicates His Essence together with His mercy.
The reverse, however, does not necessarily follow. That is, establishing an Attribute or Action for Allah does not mean that a Name may be derived from it.
Allah تعالى says:
“Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring forth one better than it or similar to it.” [Al-Baqarah 2:106]
Allah attributed abrogation to Himself, which establishes the action that Allah has described Himself as performing.
However, it is not permissible to derive a Name for Allah from this action and say:
“Al-Nāsikh is one of the Beautiful Names of Allah.”
The reason is that this Name has not been mentioned in the Qur’an or Sunnah, and the Names of Allah are based solely on revelation.
The principle is that the chapter of Names is narrower than the chapter of Attributes, and the chapter of Attributes is narrower than the chapter of Actions. Therefore, it is not correct to move from merely establishing an Action to establishing a Name for Allah.
Just as we do not say that “Al-Ātī (The One Who Comes)” is one of the Names of Allah merely because Allah says:
“Are they waiting for anything other than that Allah should come to them...” [Al-Baqarah 2:210]
nor do we say “Al-Nāzil (The One Who Descends)” merely because the descent of the Lord is established, likewise we do not say “Al-Nāsikh (The Abrogator)” merely because the action of abrogation occurs in the Qur’an.
Yes. It is correct to say that the Qur’an contains abrogating and abrogated verses, provided this is according to the principles governing abrogation established by the scholars and that the claim of abrogation is supported by evidence.
Saying that there are abrogating and abrogated verses does not mean that the Speech of Allah has suffered deficiency or contained any flaw. Rather, abrogation is among the rulings of Allah that He legislated with wisdom. Through it, He moves His servants from one ruling to another according to what His wisdom and their interests require.
Allah knows best what benefits His servants, and He is Wise in His legislation and decree.
And Allah knows best.