´It was narrated that 'Aishah said:` "One of the things that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, revealed" -(one of the narrators) Al-Harith said (in his narration): "One of the things that were revealed in the Qur'an"- "was that ten known breast-feedings make marriage prohibited, then that was abrogated and changed to five known breast-feedings. Then the Messenger of Allah passed away when this was something that was still being recited in the Qur'an."
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Muhammad Ameen
The meaning of "recited in the Qur'an" here is that the ruling of five sucklings (rad‘at) was revealed in the very last period, and after the Prophet's (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) passing, not everyone was aware that the recitation of this verse had been abrogated. Therefore, some people continued to recite this verse for a while. Gradually, everyone came to know, and all stopped reciting it. However, its ruling still remains: the ruling of suckling (radā‘ah) applies only when a child suckles five times, not less. In reality, there are three types of abrogated verses: ➊ Those whose ruling and recitation are both abrogated, such as the ruling of ten sucklings. ➋ Those verses whose recitation is abrogated but their ruling remains, such as the ruling of five sucklings, or "al-shaykhu wa al-shaykhatu idhā zanayā farjumūhumā al-battata." ➌ And third, those whose ruling is abrogated but the verses remain in the Qur'an, and there are several such verses, for example: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا… الآیة﴾. Therefore, the recitation by some people after the Prophet's (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) passing was due to their lack of knowledge, not because its ruling still remained.
Source: Sunan Nasa'i: Translation and Benefits by Shaykh Hafiz Muhammad Amin Hafizullah, Page: 3309