Scholars have wondered what does God mean by "bring one better". Aren't all verses of the Quran equally good? Many opinions were offered and one that makes a lot of sense, and has been used to support the abrogation doctrine, is that the abrogating verses offer the believer more good than the abrogated ones, such as reducing the requirements without reducing the reward.
I thought of something today which I'm inclined to believe is more direct, and you guessed it, it supports the notion that no abrogation occurred in the Quran. See if you agree with me:
I believe that there is a direct correspondence in the verse: the phrase
بخير منها (one better) corresponds to
ننسخ من آية (remove, or abrogate a verse), while
أو مثلها (or one like it) corresponds to
أو ننسها (or cause it to be forgotten). Thus, when God abrogates a verse, He brings a better one; when He causes a verse to be forgotten, He brings one similar to it.
How does that annul the notion of abrogation in the Quran? Because all verses of the Quran are equally good, they can only be caused to be forgotten, never abrogated. But verses of the Quran abrogated verses of the Torah and the Gospel even those that have survived editing. The Quran is superior to those scriptures, or God would not have allowed them to be edited and lost.
This interpretation is consistent with the following hadeeth, rated Saheeh (authentic) by Al-Albaani,
عن ابن أبزى عن أبيه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أغفل آية، فلما صلى قال: أفي القوم أبي؟ فقال أبي: آية كذا نسخت أم نسيتها؟ قال: بل أنسيتها
Translation:
During a congregational prayer, the prophet (PBUH) left out a verse. When he was done, he asked, "Is Ubayy around?" Ubayy replied and asked the prophet, "Such and such verse - was it abrogated or did you forget it?" The prophet replied, "No I was caused to forget it."
Notice that the prophet (PBUH) acknowledged that he left out a verse, but rejected both suggestions of Ubayy: abrogation and that he forgot the verse. He asserted that he "was caused to forget it." That is what happens to verses of the Quran that God no longer wants to be recited or be part of the written Quran.
The prophet's rejection of abrogation is the reason I favor the above interpretation of 2:106 and why I maintain that no abrogation exists in the text of the Quran. His rejection of the assumption that he may have forgotten the verse is consistent with God's promise in,
Verse 87:6 makes it clear that the prophet (PBUH) on his own will not forget any revelation, and the exception in 87:7 is when God may cause him to forget.