as prophet. It "was quite possible for something to be beneficial for them in one situation, and detrimental in another", (such as fasting during Ramadan, where eating is allowed at night, but forbidden in the day), so that God might well abrogate something after it was no longer beneficial. (Ibn Qudamah) "Islam abrogates all previous codes of which it is the perfection — If contemporary law is subject to constant alteration to meet changing conditions, why is it impossible that laws given to one people at one time should be abrogated elsewhere at another time?" (Al-Shahrastani) Naskh an expression of "the notion that aspects of the Quran's message and the Prophet's teachings developed over time". (Or, since God is all knowing, naskh was said to be what happened when the expiration points were reached for of those rulings God intended as temporary all along.) (J.A.C. Brown) God "knows the temporariness or permanence of any ruling from the time He issues it." (Louay Fatoohi) Major changes in behavior called for by Islam (banning of consumption of alcohol) should be abolished gradually, meaning that the early lenient commands are abrogated by later stricter ones — demonstrating that this abrogation was pre-planned, not the correction of a mistake; Alternately naskh provides takhfīf (lightening), abrogation "was generally directed to making things easier", (al-Suyuti) either by introducing a more lenient rule—or if introducing a more onerous one, helping believers by giving them the opportunity to earn greater reward in the Hereafter by obeying the challenging rule. Verses are abrogated to replace them with something that will improve human welfare. (Al-Zamakhshari) The 'style' of Divine revelation is "direct and absolute", without "clauses, exceptions and qualification". This makes necessary the occasional modification of these broad commands with "more specific" meanings, which is "generally" what naskh does. (Cyril Glasse) It serves a way for God to test the obedience of believers, who may be troubled and confused that God changed divine law to declares something good that at one time was denounced as evil and vice versa. (Ibn Kathir) Finally, the question "why?" itself is out of line. "abrogation as a mechanism that perfectly reflects God's omnipotence. God can change any ruling with another at any point in time He sees fit" (Louay Fatoohi); "God orders men's actions as He pleases and must not be asked what He is doing" (Al-Shahrastani); "The sound mind does not deny that