Narrator: Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (r.a.)
Numbering: Shu‘ayb al-Arna’ut’s tahqiq · Also: Al-Maktabah al-Shamela 960 (Al-Nasa’i dalam ‘Amal al-Yaum wa al-Lailah, no. 960 dan 962; al-Tabarani dalam al-Kabir no. 541.)
عَنْ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ لَهُ جُرُنٌ مِنْ تَمْرٍ فَكَانَ يَنْقُصُ، فَحَرَسَهُ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ، فَإِذَا هُوَ بِدَابَّةٍ شِبْهِ الْغُلَامِ الْمُحْتَلِمِ، فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ فَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامَ، فَقَالَ: مَا أَنْتَ؟ جِنِّيٌّ أَمْ إِنْسِيٌّ؟ قَالَ: جِنِّيٌّ… قَالَ: فَمَا يُنْجِينَا مِنْكُمْ؟ قَالَ: هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ الَّتِي فِي سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ {اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ}؛ مَنْ قَالَهَا حِينَ يُمْسِي أُجِيرَ مِنَّا حَتَّى يُصْبِحَ، وَمَنْ قَالَهَا حِينَ يُصْبِحُ أُجِيرَ مِنَّا حَتَّى يُمْسِيَ. فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ لَهُ، فَقَالَ: «صَدَقَ الْخَبِيثُ».
Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (r.a.) had a store of dates that kept diminishing. He kept watch one night and came upon a creature resembling an adolescent boy. He greeted it and it returned the greeting. Ubayy asked: “What are you — a jinn or a human?” It said: “A jinn.” … Ubayy asked: “What can save us from you?” It said: “This verse in Surah al-Baqarah — {Allah, there is no god but He, the Living, the Sustainer}. Whoever says it in the evening is protected from us until morning, and whoever says it in the morning is protected from us until evening.” When morning came, Ubayy went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and told him, and he said: “The wicked one told the truth.”
Grade
Included in his Sahih
Ibn Hibban
Sahih Ibn Hibban no. 784 (ed. al-Arna’ut)
Sahih al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib
He placed this report in his collection of authentic reports.
Included in al-Mukhtara
Al-Diya’ al-Maqdisi
Al-Ahadith al-Mukhtara
Al-Diya’ restricted his collection to sahih or hasan reports.
Notes
This is the established basis for reciting Ayat al-Kursi morning and evening. Sheikh Redwan rests the practice on the athar of Ibn Mas‘ud (r.a.) from al-Darimi and al-Bayhaqi, whose chain is munqati‘; this report of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b was accepted by Ibn Hibban, al-Diya’ and al-Albani.
Takhrij: al-Nasa’i in ‘Amal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah (960, 962), Ibn Hibban (784), al-Tabarani in al-Kabir (541), al-Bayhaqi in Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, al-Baghawi in Sharh al-Sunna, and al-Bukhari mentions it in al-Tarikh al-Kabir.
Ayat al-Kursi is also established at bedtime by Sahih al-Bukhari (no. 3275) from Abu Hurayrah (r.a.) — a different time, not morning and evening.