Can hadeeth abrogate or make specific the general meaning of verses of the Holy Qur’an?

Firstly: 

The Qur’an and Sunnah are of the same
status with regard to being sources of Islamic legislation. Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Nor does he [the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him)] speak of (his own) desire. It is only an
Inspiration that is inspired”

[an-Najm 53:3-4]. 

Al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi (may Allah have
mercy on him) wrote a chapter in his valuable book al-Kifaayah fi ‘Ilm
ar-Riwaayah (p. 23) entitled “Chapter on what is narrated about the
ruling of the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, being equal to the ruling of
the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) with regard to acts being obligatory and binding.” End quote. 

Under this heading he narrated the hadeeth
of al-Miqdaam ibn Ma‘di Yakrib (may Allah be pleased with him), according to
which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said: “Verily I have been given the Qur’an and something like it with it.
Soon a man who has eaten his fill, resting on his couch, will say : ‘You
must follow this Qur’an; whatever you find in it as permissible, then regard
it as permissible, and whatever you find in it as prohibited, then regard it
as prohibited. Verily, whatever the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) has prohibited is like that which Allah has
prohibited.” 

It was narrated by at-Tirmidhi (2664) who
said: It is hasan ghareeb with this isnaad. It was classed as hasan by al-Albaani
in as-Silsilah as-Saheehah (2870) 

The Sunnah explains in detail that which
is mentioned in brief in the Book of Allah, it makes specific or restricts
that which it mentions in general terms, and it explains what abrogates and
what is abrogated. The imam of the Taabi‘een, Makhool (may Allah have mercy
on him) said: The Qur’an needs the Sunnah more than the Sunnah needs the
Qur’an.

End quote from al-Kifaayah (p. 30) 

Secondly: 

With regard to the Sunnah limiting the
general meaning of Qur’anic texts, the majority of scholars of usool are of
the view that it is possible. 

Ibn an-Najjaar al-Fatoohi (may Allah have
mercy on him) said: 

Some verses of the Qur’an that are general
in meaning could be made specific or limited by others or by the Sunnah in
general, whether the Sunnah is narrated in mutawaatir or aahaad reports. 

An example of the general meaning of a
Qur’anic text being made specific by the Sunnah – even if it is narrated in
aahaad reports, according to Ahmad, Maalik and ash-Shaafa‘i (may Allah have
mercy on them) – is the verse in which Allah, may He be glorified and
exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “All others are lawful”
[an-Nisa’ 4:24]. This is made specific by the words of the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), in which a particular exception
is made: “One should not be married to a woman and her paternal aunt, or her
maternal aunt, as the same time.” Agreed upon. A similar example is when an
exception is made to the verse on stealing with regard to anything of a
value less than the minimum threshold [above which the thief’s hand is to be
cut off], who are to be banished, and so on. 

Ibn Muflih said: According to the Hanafis,
if the verse which is general in meaning was made specific [or an exception
was made] on the basis of proof on which all are agreed, then that is
acceptable, otherwise it is not. Some scholars said that they did not reach
a conclusion on this issue, and others said that it is possible but it never
happened.

End quote. Sharh al-Kawkab al-Muneer
(3/359-363) 

Ash-Shawkaani (may Allah have mercy on
him) said: 

They differed as to whether it is possible
for a text of the Qur’an to be made specific[or an exception to be made]  on
the basis of aahaad reports. 

The majority are of the view that it is
possible in all cases. 

Some of the Hanbalis are of the view that
it is not possible at all. Al-Ghazaali mentioned this from the Mu‘tazilah in
al-Mankhool, and Ibn Burhaan narrated it from some of the scholars of
kalaam and the fuqaha’. Abu’l-Husayn ibn al-Qattaan narrated it from a
number of the scholars of Iraq. 

Al-Karkhi was of the view that it is
possible if that which is mentioned in general terms was made specific
beforehand with separate evidence, whether the evidence is definitively
sound or most likely to be sound. 

Al-Qaadi Abu Bakr did not give a view on
this issue. 

In al-Mahsool the view of the
majority is supported by the fact that the general meaning of a text and of
an aahaad report may be contradictory evidence, but the  aahaad report is
more specific than the general meaning, so it should be given precedence
over the text that is general in meaning. 

Ibn as-Sam‘aani quoted as evidence for
this possibility the fact that the Sahaabah were unanimously agreed on this
matter, hence they made the text “Allah commands you as regards your
children’s (inheritance)” [an-Nisa’ 4:11] specific by noting the
exemption in the hadeeth in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: “We Prophets are not to be inherited from.” They also
made inheritance something specifically and exclusively between Muslims,
based on the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him): “The disbeliever does not inherit from a Muslim.” And they made the
verse “then kill the Mushrikoon” [at-Tawbah 9:5] specific on the
basis of the report of ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf concerning the Magians [who
were exempted]; and so on. What clearly indicates that it is permissible to
make general texts specific (or make exemptions from them) is what is
mentioned in the Qur’an of Allah’s command to follow His Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) in absolute terms, without any limits or
exceptions. So if there is a report from him, then it is obligatory to
follow it. If it is apparently contradicted by the general meaning of a
Qur’anic text, then we must try to reconcile between them by understanding
the meaning of the general texts in light of the specific text, for the
meaning of what is mentioned in general terms could be understood on the
basis of conjecture that is not definitive. Therefore there is nothing wrong
with understanding it in the light of a aahaad report that speaks in a more
specific manner. End quote. 

Irshaad al-Fuhool
(p. 267-286) 

Al-‘Allaamah al-Ameen  ash-Shinqeeti (may
Allah have mercy on him) said: 

In fact it is possible to understand a
mutawaatir report in light of an aahaad report, because making something
specific is an explanation of a text that speaks of the matter in general
terms. We have stated above that a mutawaatir text, whether it is Qur’an or
Sunnah, may be explained by an aahaad text. End quote. 

Makhdirah Usool al-Fiqh
(p. 222)

 Thirdly: 

With regard to the issue of the Sunnah
abrogating texts of the Holy Qur’an, the scholars differed concerning this
and there are two views: 

1.It is not possible
for the Sunnah narrated in aahaad reports to abrogate the Holy Qur’an. This
is the view of the majority of scholars of usool.

In ar-Risaalah (p. 106-109), ash-Shaafa‘i
favoured the view, as did Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on them both), that it
is not possible for a mutawaatir text of Sunnah to abrogate a Qur’anic text.
This view was also favoured by Ibn Qudaamah and Ibn Taymiyah. 

You can read about this issue at length in
al-Bahr al-Muheet by az-Zarkashi ash-Shaafa‘i (2/262-272) 

2.It is possible for
the Sunnah narrated in aahaad reports to abrogate a Qur’anis text. This is
the view of some scholars of usool among the Hanafis. This is also the view
favoured by as-Subki in Jam‘ al-Jawaami‘ (p. 57) where he said: The Sunnah
is for the Qur’an to abrogate another text of Qur’an or Sunnah, and for the
Sunnah to abrogate Qur’an. It was said that an aahaad report cannot abrogate
a Qur’anic text, but in fact that only occurred in the case of mutawaatir
texts. End quote.

The view favoured by al-‘Allaamah Muhammad
al-Ameen ash-Shinqeeti (may Allah have mercy on him) is as follows 

What appears to us to be correct is that
it is possible for saheeh aahaad reports to abrogate mutawaatir texts, if it
is proven that (the aahaad report) came after the mutawaatir report, and
that there is no way that there can be a contradiction between them, because
the mutawaatir report is true and the Sunnah that comes after it only
explains something that was not there before it. So there is no
contradiction between them at all, because they occurred at different
times. 

With regard to the verse in which Allah,
may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say (O Muhammad
SAW): “I find not in that which has been inspired to me anything forbidden
to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytatah (a dead
animal) or blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like), or the flesh of
swine (pork, etc.) for that surely is impure, or impious (unlawful) meat (of
an animal) which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah (or has
been slaughtered for idols, etc., or on which Allah’s Name has not been
mentioned while slaughtering). But whosoever is forced by necessity without
wilful disobedience, nor transgressing due limits, (for him) certainly, your
Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-An‘aam 6:145],

this verse clearly indicates that it is
permissible to eat the flesh of tame donkeys, because it implies that only
the things mentioned here are prohibited. 

But then after that the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) stated on the day of Khaybar, according to
the saheeh hadeeth, that the flesh of tame donkeys is not permissible. But
there is no contradiction between this saheeh hadeeth and this verse that
was revealed two years before it, because the hadeeth is speaking of a new
prohibition, and there is nothing in the verse to suggest that no new ruling
could be introduced in the future, as is quite clear. 

Based on the above, it is possible – in
sha Allah – for a mutawaatir text to be abrogated by a saheeh aahaad hadeeth
that came later than it, even though the majority of scholars of usool hold
a different view. End quote. 

Adwa’ al-Bayaan
(2/452-451) 

And Allah knows best.