The Abrogation of Quran 2:256: A Truth Acknowledged by Islamic Schola

 

By Bobby Darvish

As an Iranian American ex Muslim and Christian, I often face the false accusation that criticizing Islam means misrepresenting its scriptures. But I’m not running from anything. The Islamic doctrine of abrogation is a core principle in classical Islamic jurisprudence and tafsir, and it completely undercuts the claim that “there is no compulsion in religion” (Quran 2:256) remains a universal teaching.

This verse, often cited by modern Muslim apologists to portray Islam as a tolerant faith, was never intended as a binding eternal command. According to the most respected classical Islamic commentaries such as Tafsir al Jalalayn and Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Quran 2:256 was revealed during a time when Muslims were politically and militarily weak in Medina. It served as a strategic allowance rather than an absolute rule. Once Muhammad gained power and dominance over Arabia, later revelations advocating open warfare against non Muslims took precedence.

For example, Quran 9:5, often referred to as the “Verse of the Sword,” commands Muslims to “kill the polytheists wherever you find them.” Similarly, Quran 9:29 instructs Muslims to “fight those who do not believe in Allah... even if they are People of the Book,” meaning Jews and Christians. These verses were revealed after the Muslims had consolidated control, and according to classical Islamic scholars, they abrogate the earlier peaceful verses.

This doctrine of abrogation, naskh in Arabic, is not a Christian interpretation but a well established concept within Islam. Renowned jurist Imam al Shafii, one of the founders of Sunni jurisprudence, openly acknowledged that peaceful verses were overruled by those commanding jihad and armed struggle. In his Al Risala, he writes about how specific rulings were superseded by later ones with greater legal force. Similarly, the Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir, in his commentary on Quran 2:256, admits that the verse was partially abrogated by verses like 9:5 and 9:29.

This makes one thing clear. This is not a matter of Islamophobia or misinterpretation by non Muslims. These are facts taught and believed by Islamic scholars themselves, long before any Western critics of Islam entered the conversation. What’s really a pity is when Muslims today, in an effort to sanitize or modernize their religion, deny the very sources and scholars that laid the foundations of Islamic doctrine.

If anyone wants to have an honest discussion about Islam, they must first confront the reality of what their own scholars have written. The truth is not bigotry. The real tragedy is willful denial.

Citations

1. Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al Quran al Azim, commentary on Quran 2:256 and 9:5

2. Jalal al Din al Mahalli and Jalal al Din al Suyuti, Tafsir al Jalalayn, commentary on Quran 2:256

3. Imam al Shafii, Al Risala (trans. Majid Khadduri), The Islamic Texts Society, 1987

4. Quran 2:256, Quran 9:5, Quran 9:29

5. Abdur Rahman Doi, Shariah The Islamic Law, Ta Ha Publishers, 1984

6. David Cook, Understanding Jihad, University of California Press, 2005