12 – ‘Abd al-Malik b. Ibrāhīm al-Bārūdī narrated to us; Mu‘āwiyah b. Hishām al-Qaṣṣār narrated to us; Sufyān narrated, from Ibn Abī Laylā, from Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī, who said:
“I said to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—‘A ghoul comes in on me through a small storage-room of mine.’ He replied, ‘When you see it, say: “Answer the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”’
“So I saw it, seized it, yet it tricked me and said, ‘I will not return.’ I therefore released it and went to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He asked, ‘What became of your prisoner?’ I said, ‘I set her free; she swore to me that she would not come back.’ He said, ‘She lied, for lying is her habit.’
“I caught her again; she swore she would never return, so I released her and went to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He asked, ‘What has your prisoner done?’ I replied, ‘I captured her; she swore she would not return, so I let her go.’ He said, ‘She lied; she will come back.’
“She did return, and I captured her. She said, ‘Let me go and I will tell you something which, if you say it, no devil will come near you.’ I let her go, and she said, ‘Recite Ayat al-Kursī—the Throne Verse.’
“I then went to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and he asked, ‘What became of your prisoner?’ I informed him, and he said, ‘She has told the truth, though she is a habitual liar.’”