Nasikh

Nasikh (Arabic: ناسخ) is a term in Islamic jurisprudence and Qur’anic exegesis referring to the abrogator or the abrogating text or ruling. The root means to erase or take away. In this context, nasikh denotes something that supersedes a previous ruling, while mansukh denotes what has been abrogated. The practice is known as naskh (abrogation) and is discussed as part of usul al-fiqh, the principles governing Islamic law.

In classical theory, nasikh al-nass refers to a later revealed verse or authentic hadith that cancels a prior injunction, and nasikh al-hukm refers to the ruling itself being superseded. Abrogation is typically said to apply to legal rulings (hukm) rather than matters of faith or core belief. The concept emphasizes historical development of guidance and the possibility that later revelations provide new directions for practice.

Classical scholars such as al-Shafi‘i, al-Tabari, and Ibn al-Qayyim treat nasikh and mansukh as established categories, though they differ on scope and examples. The most frequently cited example is the supposed progression regarding alcohol, where earlier guidance is described as being superseded by later prohibition in the Qur’an (often linked to 5:90–91); other examples concern dietary laws and worship practices. Modern scholars debate the extent and even the existence of broad abrogation, arguing that apparent contradictions may reflect context, specificity, or interpretive frameworks rather than wholesale abrogation.

Nasikh remains a debated and nuanced topic in Qur’anic interpretation and Islamic legal theory.