‘Abdullah ibn Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We went out on a rainy and extremely dark night looking for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to lead us in prayer. He said: I caught up with him, and he said: "Say," but I did not say anything. Then, he said: "Say," and again, I said nothing. He said: "Say." I replied: What should I say? He said: "{Say: "He is Allah, the One"} and Al-Mu'awwidhatān (Surat al-Falaq and Surat an-Nās) thrice in the evening and the morning, they will grant you protection from everything."
GradingAuthentic
AttributionNarrated by Abu Dāwūd, At-Tirmidhi, and An-Nasā’i
Explanation
'Abdullah ibn Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him), the great Companion, reports that they went out one night when it was raining heavily and it was extremely dark, looking for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to lead them in prayer and they found him. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Say," i.e., recite, but he recited nothing. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) repeated his words to him, so, ‘Abdullah said: What should I recite, O Messenger of Allah? Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Recite Surat al-Ikhlās {Say: “He is Allah, the One”} and Al-Mu‘awwidhatān: Surat {Say, “I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak} and Surat {Say, “I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind} in the evening and morning three times and they will protect you from all evils and guard you against all harms.