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How can one reconcile the fact that the Quran abrogates all previous laws and that "We have not neglected in the Register a thing," with the Prophet's prohibition, may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him, against asking the People of the Book for fear of refuting a truth or affirming a falsehood? And what is the ruling on the statement that the Sunnah complements the Quran?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The meaning of the abrogation of previous laws by the Quran is that the legislations contained within it that contradict those laws invalidate their rulings. There is a difference of opinion regarding the interpretation of the verse: "We have not neglected in the Register a thing" (Quran 6:38); whether it refers to the Quran itself or to the Preserved Tablet. The Holy Quran encompasses all the rulings that people need, but it does not include the details and specifics of previous scriptures. Nor is it necessary for it to explain all the falsehoods and truths within them; rather, it suffices to explain what they altered and distorted. There are reports from the People of the Book that the Quran remained silent about, and these cannot be affirmed or denied. They usually do not contain any religious benefit. The saying "the Sunnah came to complement the Quran" means the importance of the Prophetic Sunnah in understanding Allah's intent from the Quran, and it is better to say that the Sunnah clarifies the Quran.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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