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Can a Hadith whose authenticity is disputed abrogate a Quranic verse, such as the Hadith "There is no bequest for an heir," which is said to have abrogated the verse of bequest, knowing that the authenticity of the Hadith is disputed?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed on the abrogation of the Qur’an by the Sunnah, but the correct view is that it is permissible and has occurred, for both are revelation. An example of the abrogation of the Sunnah by the Qur’an is the abrogation of facing Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis) by facing the Kaaba. An example of the abrogation of the Qur’an by the Sunnah is the abrogation of the verse of suckling by the Sunnah.

Shaykh al-Shanqeeti permitted the abrogation of a mutawatir (mass-transmitted) text by an authentic, later ahad (singularly transmitted) report, citing as evidence the prohibition of domestic donkey meat by the Sunnah after its permissibility by the Qur’an, as the hadith brought a new prohibition. The majority of scholars disagreed with him, holding that the abrogation of the Qur’an by ahad reports does not occur.

Scholars have differed regarding temporary marriage (nikah al-mut'ah): Was it permitted by the verse in Surat An-Nisa then abrogated by other verses or by the Sunnah, or was it permitted by the Sunnah and then abrogated by it? The majority of scholars are of the opinion that it is permanently forbidden by consensus.

As for "No bequest for an heir," it is an authentic hadith, considered mutawatir by some scholars. They differed on whether it abrogates the verse of bequest for parents and near relatives. Some hold that it abrogated it, others believe that the verses of inheritance abrogated it, while still others believe that the early generations (Salaf) used the term "abrogation" (naskh) to mean specification (takhsees).

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

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