The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Abu Hurairah through a different chain of narrators. This version has:

A man was reviling Abu Bakr. He then mentioned the rest of the tradition in a similar manner.

Abu Dawud said: Similarly, it has been transmitted by Safwan b. ‘Isa, from Ibn ‘Affan, as Sufyan said.

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى بْنُ حَمَّادٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَجْلاَنَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، كَانَ يَسُبُّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَسَاقَ نَحْوَهُ . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَكَذَلِكَ رَوَاهُ صَفْوَانُ بْنُ عِيسَى عَنِ ابْنِ عَجْلاَنَ، كَمَا قَالَ سُفْيَانُ .