Another indicator is when a Companion categorically affirms that a given ruling came later; for example, Jabir said: “The last (1) of the two commands from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was to abandon (2) ablution after anything had touched (3) the fire.” This was recorded by the authors of the Sunan collections (4).
A further indicator is when the chronology of the two texts is independently known, and such cases are many.
Not to be counted among these indicators is a report narrated by a Companion who accepted Islam late and which conflicts with a report from one who preceded him (5), for it is possible that he heard it from another Companion who was earlier (6) than the one mentioned—or from a contemporary of his (7)—and then transmitted it without naming his source.
However, if he explicitly states that he heard the report directly from the Prophet ﷺ, it becomes plausible to regard it as the abrogating text, on the condition that he had not received (8) anything (9) from the Prophet before embracing Islam.
(1) In MSS K and L the word akhiru appears in the nominative, whereas the present edition follows the reading of J and D. Ibn Ruslan, in his commentary on Sunan Abi Dawud (2/39), comments: “kana akhira—with akhir in the accusative … taruku is nominative and functions as the subject of kana.” Al-Qari, in Sharh Sharh al-Nukhba (p. 380), adds: “It may also be read in the nominative, taking it as the subject of kana and its predicate as akhiru al-amrayn (‘the later of the two things’), or vice versa.”
(2) MS Z reads taraka in the accusative; the edition follows J, D, and M.
(3) MSS W and Y read mastahu.
(4) Reported by Abu Dawud (no. 192), al-Nasai (no. 185), al-Tirmidhi with similar wording (no. 80), and Ibn Majah (no. 489).
(5) MS T has lil-mutaqaddim (“for the earlier one”), while MS M reads fa-mutaqaddim (“so the earlier one”).
(6) MS K reads aqdami with a kasra, which is an error.
(7) MSS D and W read mithlihi in the genitive; the edition follows J. Al-Qari (Sharh Sharh al-Nukhba, p. 381) holds that it should be in the accusative.
(8) MS T places the word shay’an (“anything”) here ahead of its usual position.
(9) MS D inserts the particle min (“from”).