The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would sometimes command something or grant permission for it, but then be asked to reconsider it, whereupon Allah would abrogate that initial command.

“For example, when he ordered them to break the vessels containing donkey meat, they asked, ‘Could we not simply empty them?’ He replied, ‘Empty them.’ (1)

On another occasion, while they were on a journey, they sought his permission (2) to slaughter their mounts, and he granted it. Then Umar came and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, if you permit this, they will run out of mounts. Instead, gather together what they have with them and supplicate to Allah—Blessed and Most High—concerning it.’ The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—did so.” (3).

Another example is “the hadith of Abū Hurayra. When the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—gave him his mule, he said, ‘Go, and give glad tidings of Paradise to anyone you meet beyond this wall who testifies that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’ He then met Umar and told him, whereupon Umar struck him in the chest and said, ‘Go back.’ So he returned to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Umar then said to him, ‘Do not do that, for I fear that people will rely upon it; leave them to