When the disbelievers began to deride the matter of abrogation saying that one day Muhammad enjoins his Companions to one thing and then the next day he forbids it God revealed And whatever verse mā is the conditional particle that has been revealed containing a judgement We abrogate either together with its recital or not that is only its judgement but its recital continues; there is a variant reading nunsikh meaning ‘Whatever verse We command you or Gabriel to abrogate’ or postpone so that We do not reveal the judgement contained in it and We withhold its recital or retain it in the Preserved Tablet; a variant reading of nunsi’hā is nunsihā from ‘to forget’ so ‘Whatever verse We abrogate or We make you forget that is We erase from your heart’; the response to the conditional sentence begun with mā is We bring in place a better one that is more beneficial for Our servants either because it is easier to implement or contains much reward; or the like of it in terms of religious obligation and reward; do you not know that God has power over all things? including abrogating and substituting verses? the interrogative here is meant as an affirmative.
