How can we reconcile the Prophet's — may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him — forgetting parts of the Qur'an, as mentioned in Sahihs of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, with Allah's saying: {We shall make you recite, so you shall not forget Except what Allah wills} (Al-A'la: 6-7), and is it true that his forgetting only occurred before the revelation of this verse?

The hadith referred to does not mention the Prophet’s — prayers and peace of God be upon him — forgetfulness in prayer. Rather, it is mentioned in Abu Dawud’s hadith that the Prophet — prayers and peace of God be upon him — forgot a verse from the Quran outside of prayer.

As for reconciling this with the verse, Allah Almighty honored the Prophet — prayers and peace of God be upon him — by ensuring he would not forget anything from the Quran, except what Allah willed to abrogate, or what temporary forgetfulness might afflict him due to his human nature after its conveyance, and then Allah would remind him of it, such as forgetting the wording of a verse which he soon remembers. This does not contradict His — the Almighty’s — saying: "We will make you recite, and you will not forget, except what Allah wills," which is a promise from Allah that the Prophet would not forget the Quran.

It has been narrated from some scholars that the forgetfulness that afflicts the Prophet — prayers and peace of God be upon him — is of two types: 1. Forgetfulness that he soon remembers, and this is due to his human nature. 2. That Allah removes the verse from his heart, intending to abrogate its recitation.

Forgetfulness from the Prophet — prayers and peace of God be upon him — occurred after the revelation of the verse "We will make you recite, and you will not forget," because Surah Al-A'la is Meccan, and forgetfulness occurred after the Hijra in Medina, which indicates that forgetfulness is possible after the revelation of the verse. And Allah knows best.