Fabricated Ḥadīth “My Words Do Not Abrogate the Words of Allah” – Chain and Content Analysis

Is the Ḥadīth “My Words Do Not Abrogate the Words of Allah” Authentic? – A Critical Analysis
(Excerpt: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah – Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām, Vol. 2, p. 473)

Question:​

The narration states:


"كلامي لا ينسخ كلام الله، وكلام الله ينسخ كلامي، وكلام الله ينسخ بعضه بعضاً"
"My words do not abrogate the words of Allah; the words of Allah abrogate my words; and the words of Allah abrogate one another."
(Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, p. 195)


Is this narration authentic?

Answer:​

Alḥamdulillāh, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

Source of the Ḥadīth:​

• Quoted in Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ from Sunan al-Dāraqutnī (4/145, ḥadīth no. 4233)
• Chain: Jabrūn ibn Wāqid → Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah → Abū al-Zubayr → Jābir

Scholarly Opinions:​

1. Ibn ʿAdī – Cited the ḥadīth in al-Kāmil (2/602 / 2/443) and declared it munkar.
   
   • Also referenced in Dhakhīrat al-Ḥuffāẓ, no. 4406.
2. Al-Dāraqutnī – Mentioned it in Sunan but did not praise the chain.
3. Ibn al-Jawzī – Included it in al-ʿIlal al-Mutanāhiyah (1/125, ḥadīth no. 190).
4. Al-Dhahabī – Declared it mawḍūʿ (fabricated). (Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, 1/388)
5. Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī – Endorsed al-Dhahabī’s verdict. (Lisān al-Mīzān, 2/94)

The Problematic Narrator – Jabrūn ibn Wāqid:​

• Al-Dhahabī: “Laysa bithiqah” – “Not trustworthy.” (Dīwān al-Ḍuʿafāʾ, no. 722; al-Mughnī fī al-Ḍuʿafāʾ, no. 1089)
• Al-Dhahabī: “Muttaham” – Accused of fabrication. (Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, 1/387–388)
• In ḥadīth criticism, muttaham means muttaham bi’l-waḍʿ – accused of forging aḥādīth. (al-Kashf al-Ḥathīth, p. 122)
• No ḥadīth scholar has authenticated him.

Conclusion:​

• Due to the presence of Jabrūn ibn Wāqid, the narration is fabricated (mawḍūʿ).
• Both chain and content are unreliable, and it is impermissible to use it as evidence.

Allah knows best.