Dvine laws were revealed by Allaah to His messengers for the purpose of correcting man’s beliefs about God (‘aqeedah), his methods of worshipping God (‘ibaadah), and his social life or social conduct (mu‘aamalah). Since there is only one correct belief about God, tawheed, whereby Allaah is considered as One, without partner in His essence, His attributes, His actions, and right of worship, all of the prophets invited mankind to that belief in exactly the same way. Allaah confirmed this fact to Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in the Qur’aan, stating,

However, in the case of methods of worship and social conduct, the same format was not used in all cases. It is true that principles of worship and social conduct were all aimed at purification of the soul, protection of society, and tying communities together with bonds of cooperation and brotherhood, but the needs of each nation or people were different. The needs may even vary from time to time within the same nation. Thus, what may suit a people in one age may not suit them in another. Also, what can be suitably used by a prophet to call the people at the beginning of his prophethood may be inappropriate in the later stages, when Allaah’s message has been established in the land and a state based on divine law has come into being. Thus, the wisdom behind the various laws takes all of these factors into account, for there is no doubt about Allaah’s allencompassing mercy and knowledge. It is His right to command and forbid us, as He has informed us:

Therefore, it should not in any way seem strange that Allaah may replace a divine law with another based on His knowledge of all things, past, present and future.

This replacement of a divine law by another divine law is referred to in ArabicIslaamic terminology as “naskh.” Allaah referred to the existence of this process as follows: