The Presence of Abrogating and Abrogated, Absolute and Qualified Matters in the Texts

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, is there contradiction in the hadiths, and abrogating and abrogated, and one that is left behind?

Answer:
There is no doubt, no doubt, that even the verses of the Qur'an have among them abrogating and abrogated, absolute and qualified, specific and general. There is no doubt about that. Likewise, the hadiths contain abrogating and abrogated, absolute and qualified, specific and general, and concise and explicit. There is no doubt about this. Yes, I say that were it not for these obstacles and the distinction between these matters, knowledge would have been easy, and everyone would have become a scholar. Everyone who reads would become a scholar. But these are matters that only scholars, only those firmly grounded in knowledge, are aware of. Yes.
This is difficult. Knowledge is not an easy thing. One must master these matters and know the rules of knowledge, the principles of knowledge, and the guidelines of knowledge. This requires time, learning, understanding, intelligence, and acumen. Yes, but knowledge is not easy. Newspapers will come out, you take a newspaper and read it, and you become a journalist. May Allah will it, you become an excellent journalist by reading newspapers. Likewise, if books of knowledge were like newspapers, you would become a scholar just by reading them. But no, knowledge is difficult. It has doors, rules, principles, and guidelines. One must proceed with them. This requires time, effort, patience, and endurance. Yes.