Has nothing of the Qur'an been abrogated? And what is the benefit of abrogating verses, given God's prior knowledge and His pledge to preserve the Qur'an?

First: Allah the Almighty promised His Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in Surat Al-A'la, that He would make him recite the Qur'an so he would not forget it, "except what Allah wills." This exception means what Allah wills to be abrogated from it. So, what Allah wills to be abrogated and removed, the Prophet, peace be upon him, forgets it.

Second: Abrogation does not contradict the preservation of the Qur'an. Allah the Almighty has preserved the Qur'an from alteration and change by humans. As for Him, glorified be He, He does what He wills. Abrogation has many benefits and wisdoms, including: Gradualism in rulings as a mercy to the Ummah, demonstrating Allah's mercy to it, indicating Allah's attributes such as knowledge, wisdom, and mercy, reminding of Allah's blessings, especially in abrogation by alleviation, and testing and trying the accountable individual. Therefore, abrogation is considered one of the beauties of the Qur'an.

Third: The claim that Allah's knowledge of the future contradicts abrogation is a doubt raised by the Jews and those who followed them in denying abrogation, considering that abrogation necessitates bada' (change of mind), meaning that Allah the Almighty was not aware of something and then came to know it. This is refuted; for Allah the Almighty knows in advance when the benefit of a previous ruling will expire and when He will abrogate it and replace it with a new ruling that contains a benefit. The Qur'anic verses affirm Allah's knowledge of what is revealed and of the benefits of changing rulings.