Tafseer of The Bee · An-Nahl · 16:101
And when We substitute a verse in place of a verse - and Allah is most knowing of what He sends down - they say, "You, [O Muhammad], are but an inventor [of lies]." But most of them do not know.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah, the Exalted, says: When We lift a ruling (ḥukm) of a verse and put in its place the ruling of another verse — and Allah knows best what He sends down — that is to say: Allah knows best what is most beneficial for His creation regarding what He modifies and alters in His rulings. They said: "You are only a fabricator." Allah says: The mushrikīn toward Allah, the deniers of His Messenger, said to His Messenger: "You, O Muḥammad, are only a fabricator" — that is to say: a liar who fabricates falsehood against Allah. Allah, the Exalted, says: "But most of those who say this to you, O Muḥammad, are ignorant" — they do not know the reality of the truthfulness of what you bring them from Allah: His abrogating and abrogated verses. In accordance with what we have said concerning the explanation of وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آيَةً مَكَانَ آيَةٍ , the exegetes also spoke. Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me on the authority of several, all on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آيَةً مَكَانَ آيَةٍ : We abrogated it and sent down another. Al-Qāsim related to us on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آيَةً مَكَانَ آيَةٍ : he said: We abrogated it, replaced it, lifted it, and maintained another in its place. Bishr related to us on the authority of Qatāda — concerning وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آيَةً مَكَانَ آيَةٍ : it is equivalent to His word مَا نَنسَخْ مِنْ آيَةٍ أَوْ نُنسِهَا . Yūnus related to me: Ibn Wahb reports: Ibn Zayd said concerning وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آيَةً مَكَانَ آيَةٍ : They said: "You are only a fabricator — you bring something and then reject it and bring something else." He said: And this replacement is our abrogation (naskhunā); and We do not replace one verse with another verse except by abrogation (naskhun).