神圣的律法由真主启示给祂的使者，目的在于纠正人类关于真主的信仰（'aqeedah，信条），纠正人类敬拜真主的方式（'ibaadah，崇拜），以及纠正人类的社会生活和社会行为（mu'aamalah，交易往来）。由于关于真主的正确信仰只有一种，即独一（tawheed，认主独一），真主在本质、属性、行为以及敬拜的权利上都是独一无二、无有同伴的，因此所有先知都以完全相同的方式邀请人类归信这一信仰。真主在《古兰经》中向穆罕默德ﷺ确认了这一事实，经文说：

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,

然而，在崇拜方式和社会行为方面，并非所有情况都采用相同的形式。诚然，崇拜与社会行为的原则都旨在净化灵魂、保护社会，并以合作与兄弟之情把各个群体联结在一起，但每个民族或人群的需要各不相同，即便同一民族之内，需要也可能随时间而变化。因此，在某一时代适合某一民族的做法，到另一时代未必适合他们。此外，一位先知在其先知使命之初用来召唤民众的方式，到了后期就可能不再适宜——那时安拉的启示已在大地上确立，依据天启律法的国家也已建立。因此，各项律法背后的智慧都顾及了这些因素，因为安拉无所不包的慈悯与知识是毫无疑问的。命令和禁止我们，是祂的权利，正如祂所告知我们的：

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:

因此，真主基于祂对过去、现在和未来一切事物的全知，以另一条天命律例取代原有律例，这在任何意义上都不应显得奇怪。

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.

这种以另一条天启律法取代原有天启律法的情形，在阿拉伯语的伊斯兰术语中称为“naskh”（废止）。安拉提到了这一过程的存在，经文如下：

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: