Al-Shawkānī said: “The report of Ubayy is narrated by trustworthy transmitters, with the only exception of ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Khālid—and he too is deemed acceptable.”
As for the narration of ʿĀʾishah, it was related by Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah. The chain is weak, for it is uniquely transmitted by Yaḥyā ibn Ayyūb, concerning whom there is some criticism, though he is considered truthful. Al-Tirmidhī further noted that the chain is interrupted and that it contains Khuṣayf, whose narrations are clearly weak; yet, because of its corroborating reports, al-Tirmidhī concluded that it is “a fair (ḥasan), singular (gharīb) hadith.”
Glossary of the hadith
• al-Muʿawwidhatayn (the two chapters of refuge): the wāw is pronounced with kasra and doubled; reading it with fatḥa is a mistake.
Points derived from the hadith
1 – It is recommended to recite the following three sūrahs in the three rakʿahs of Witr:
(a) Sūrah al-Aʿlā: because it urges concern for the Hereafter, disdains worldly life, and contains admonitions that appeared in the former scriptures, admonitions addressed to both earlier and later generations.
(b) Sūrah al-Kāfirūn: because it equals one-fourth of the Qur’an, proclaims complete disavowal of the unbelievers and their religion, and embodies practical, volitional monotheism.
(c) Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ: because it equals one-third of the Noble Qur’an, sets forth the divine attributes and affirms Allah’s oneness in knowledge and belief.
2 – It is preferable not to recite these chapters habitually; constant performance might lead the general public to assume that it is obligatory. Occasionally omitting a virtuous act in order to clarify its legal status is better than persisting in it, for teaching people their religion is among the finest of deeds.
3 – The recitation of the Muʿawwidhatayn is mentioned in a weak report, but its weakness is not severe. When jurist-hadith scholars encounter a legal ruling supported by a narration whose weakness is mild, that fits an established legal principle and pertains to virtuous deeds, they act upon it—and this hadith is one such case.