Quran verses eaten by goats?
By Nabil Al Arif
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَلَمَةَ، يَحْيَى بْنُ خَلَفٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، عَنْ عَمْرَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، . وَعَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ لَقَدْ نَزَلَتْ آيَةُ الرَّجْمِ وَرَضَاعَةُ الْكَبِيرِ عَشْرًا وَلَقَدْ كَانَ فِي صَحِيفَةٍ تَحْتَ سَرِيرِي فَلَمَّا مَاتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَتَشَاغَلْنَا بِمَوْتِهِ دَخَلَ دَاجِنٌ فَأَكَلَهَا
It was narrated that Aisha said: “The verses of stoning and breastfeeding an adult ten times were revealed, and the paper was with me under my pillow. When the Messenger of Allah died, we were preoccupied with his death, and a sheep tamely come in and eat it.” (Hadith Sunan Ibnu Majah no. 1944, hasan by Darussalam, quoted from https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:1944 )
Hadith Sunan Ibn Majah no. 1944 explains that the sheet of verse eaten by the sheep is a verse that has been abolished and Aisha put the sheet of the verse is under the pillow because the verse is no longer used (no longer valid) because it has been mansukh (abolished), because verses that are not mansukh (not abolished) will be in the mushaf/collection of pages of verses that will form the The complete Quran after the death of the Rasulullah ﷺ (the death of the Rasulullah ﷺ indicates that the revelation was complete).
Nasakh (which abolishes) and Mansukh (which is abolished) are definite/existing aspects in Islam. Allah says "Whatever verses we Nasakh (abolishes)..." (Quran Al-Baqarah/2:106).
The verse about stoning which specifically mentions the phrase "the parents of a man and a woman who commit adultery, then stone them" has been removed. However, the law of stoning remains explained in other verses that have not been removed. The following is a hadith about Umar's testimony about a verse that previously existed but has been removed.
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الصَّبَّاحِ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ لَقَدْ خَشِيتُ أَنْ يَطُولَ، بِالنَّاسِ زَمَانٌ حَتَّى يَقُولَ قَائِلٌ مَا أَجِدُ الرَّجْمَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَيَضِلُّوا بِتَرْكِ فَرِيضَةٍ مِنْ فَرَائِضِ اللَّهِ أَلاَ وَإِنَّ الرَّجْمَ حَقٌّ إِذَا أُحْصِنَ الرَّجُلُ وَقَامَتِ الْبَيِّنَةُ أَوْ كَانَ حَمْلٌ أَوِ اعْتِرَافٌ وَقَدْ قَرَأْتُهَا الشَّيْخُ وَالشَّيْخَةُ إِذَا زَنَيَا فَارْجُمُوهُمَا الْبَتَّةَ . رَجَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَرَجَمْنَا بَعْدَهُ
It was narrated from Ibn Abbas that Umar bin Khattab said, "I fear that after a long time, some people will say: 'I do not find (the law of) stoning in the Book of Allah ﷻ and they will go astray by abandoning one of the obligations ordered by Allah ﷻ . On the contrary, stoning is a must if a man is married (or was previously married) and evidence is established, or if the result of pregnancy or if he acknowledges it. I have read it (in the Quran). “And if an old man and an old woman commit adultery, stone them both.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stoned (the adulteress) and we stoned (them) after him.' ”(Hadith Sunan Ibnu Majah no. 2553, shahih by Darussalam, quoted from https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:2553 )
The verse about breastfeeding 10 times has also been deleted, and changed to 5 times. Aisha explains it with the hadith below.
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، عَنْ عَمْرَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ كَانَ فِيمَا أُنْزِلَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ عَشْرُ رَضَعَاتٍ مَعْلُومَاتٍ يُحَرِّمْنَ . ثُمَّ نُسِخْنَ بِخَمْسٍ مَعْلُومَاتٍ فَتُوُفِّيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُنَّ فِيمَا يُقْرَأُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ
Aisha narrated that it has been revealed in the Qur'an that ten times of breastfeeding clearly makes a marriage invalid, then it is abrogated (and replaced) with five times of breastfeeding and The Messenger of Allah ﷺ died and that was before the Quran was finished (before the death of Rasulullah ﷺ) (Hadith Sahih Muslim no.1452, quoted from https://sunnah.com/muslim:1452a )
Aisha’s testimony "and it was before the Quran was finished" shows that this verse had been abolished long ago/mansukh before the Prophet died (revelation finished), even though previously the verse had been included in the Al-Qur'an when the Prophet was still alive. If the verse had not been mansukhed(deleted), then of course the verse would not have been set aside/taken out/discarded by Aisha from the complete mushaf.
