16.Sura al-Nahl
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا
آيَةً مَّكَانَ
آيَةٍ وَاللّهُ
أَعْلَمُ بِمَا
يُنَزِّلُ...
16: 101. When We substitute one revelation for another, and Allah knows best what He reveals (in stages),
C2140. See 2:106, and n. 107.
The doctrine of progressive revelation from age to age and time to time does not mean that Allah's fundamental Law changes.
It is not fair to charge a Prophet of Allah with forgery because the Message as revealed to him is in a different form from that revealed before, when the core of the Truth is the same, for it comes from Allah.
... قَالُواْ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُفْتَرٍ...
they say, "Thou art but a forger":
... بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٠١﴾
but most of them understand not.
Other versions:
16: 101
Asad And now that We replace one message by another – since God is fully aware of what He bestows from on high, step by step – they [who deny the truth] are wont to say, “You but invent it!” Nay, but most of them do not understand it!
Yusuf Ali When We substitute one revelation for another and Allah knows best what He reveals (in stages) they say "Thou art but a forger": but most of them understand not.
Pickthall And when We put a revelation in place of (another) revelation,--and Allah knoweth best what He revealeth--they say: Lo! thou art but inventing. Most of them know not.
Transliteration Wa iza_ baddalna_ a_yatam maka_na a_yah(tin), walla_hu a'lamu bima_ yunazzilu qa_lu_ innama_ anta muftar(in), bal aksaruhum la_ ya'lamu_n(a).
[Ali’s note 2140: See ii. 106, and n. 107. The doctrine of progressive revelation from age to age and time to time does not mean that Allah's fundamental Law changes. It is not fair to charge a Prophet of Allah with forgery because the Message as revealed to him is in a different form from that revealed before, when the core of the Truth is the same, for it comes from Allah. (16.101)]
[Asad’s note 125: I.e., by substituting the message of the Quran for the earlier dispensations- and not, as some Muslim scholars maintain, “abrogating” one Quranic verse for replacing it by another. (Regarding the untenable “doctrine of abrogation”, in the latter sense, see 2:106 and the corresponding note 87; see also note 35 on 41:42) ]