with dust. God will turn unto him who shall repent." The Imam states that
originally this verse was in the Sura (ix.) called Repentance. The verse,
called the "verse of stoning" is an illustration of the second kind. It
reads: "Abhor not your parents for this would be ingratitude in you. If a
man and woman of reputation commit adultery, ye shall stone them both; it
is a punishment ordained by God; for God is mighty and wise." The Khalif
Omar says this verse was extant in Muhammad's life-time but that it {60} is
now lost. But it is the third class which practically comes into
'Ilm-i-usul. Authorities differ as to the number of verses abrogated. Sale
states that they have been estimated at two hundred and twenty-five. The
principal ones are not many in number, and are very generally agreed upon.
I give a few examples. It is a fact worthy of notice that they occur
chiefly, if not almost entirely, in Suras delivered at Madina. There, where
Muhammad had to confront Jews and Christians, he was at first politic in
his aim to win them over to his side, and then, when he found them
obstinate, the doctrine of abrogation came in conveniently. This is seen
plainly in the following case. At Mecca Muhammad and his followers did not
stand facing any particular direction when at prayer, a fact to which the
following passage refers:--"To God belongeth the east and west; therefore,
whithersoever ye turn yourselves to pray there is the face of God." (Sura
ii. 109). When Muhammad arrived at Madina, he entered into friendship with
the Jews and tried to win them to his side. The Qibla (sanctuary) towards
which the worshippers now invariably turned at prayer was Jerusalem. This
went on for a while, but when Muhammad claimed to be not merely a Prophet
for the Arabs, but the last and the greatest of all the Prophets, when he
asserted that Moses had foretold his advent, and that his revelations were
the same as those contained in their own Scriptures, they utterly refused
allegiance to him. In the first half of the second year of the Hijra the
breach between them was complete. It was now time to reconcile the leaders
of the Quraish tribe at Mecca. So the verse quoted above was abrogated by:
"We have seen thee turning thy face towards heaven, but we will have thee
turn to a Qibla, which shall please thee. Turn then thy face toward the
Holy Temple (of Mecca), and wherever ye be, turn your faces toward that
part." (Sura ii. 139.) The Faithful were con