Even if that report is authentic, it presents no difficulty; on the contrary, it is the preferable, more perfect course of action and the one most fitting for the lofty station of al-Ṣiddīq.

When this group realized that the story of al-Ṣiddīq could not have been abrogated by the prohibition of gambling, they claimed instead that it was abrogated by the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah: “No prize money is permitted except in a race involving a camel, a horse, or an arrow-shot” (1).

They argued: Abū Hurayrah embraced Islam in the year of Khaybar, in 7 AH—clearly after gambling and wine had already been forbidden—so his report must cancel the wager made by al-Ṣiddīq.

Others responded: Abū Hurayrah did not say, “I heard it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” It is therefore possible that he related it mursal, from another Companion, as he often did. He would commonly say, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said…,” but when pressed he would add, “So-and-so related it to me,” naming the Companion who informed him.

Even if we concede that he actually heard it from the Prophet ﷺ, the most that can be said is that the wording is general, whereas the wager of al-Ṣiddīq is a specific incident; and, according to the majority of scholars, the specific takes precedence over the general, whether it occurs before or after it.