Al-Hakim said—and the additional wording is his—“Its chain of transmission is authentic.” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him.

The third: from al-Qasim Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman, from ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir, who said:

While I was leading the Messenger of Allah through one of those mountain passes, he said to me:

“O ‘Uqbah, will you not ride?”

He said: I considered the Messenger of Allah too worthy for me to ride his mount. Then he said:

“O ‘Uqayb, will you not ride?”

He said: I feared that it might be an act of disobedience. So the Messenger of Allah dismounted, and I rode for a short while; then he mounted again and said:

“O ‘Uqayb, shall I not teach you two surahs which are among the best two surahs people recite?”

I said, “Certainly, O Messenger of Allah.” He then taught me to recite “Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak” and “Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind.” Then the prayer was called, and the Messenger of Allah stepped forward and recited them in the prayer. He then passed by me and said:

“What do you think, O ‘Uqayb? Recite them whenever you sleep and whenever you rise.”

It was recorded by Abu Dawud (1462) and Ahmad (4/144), whose wording is given here.

The fourth: from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Sa‘id ibn Abi Sa‘id al-Maqburi, from his father, from ‘Uqbah, with a similar report.

It was recorded by Abu Dawud (1463). Ibn Ishaq practised tadlis.

The fifth: from Jubayr ibn Nufayr, from ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir, who said:

The Messenger of Allah was given a gray mule as a gift, and he rode it. ‘Uqbah began leading it for him, whereupon the Messenger of Allah said to ‘Uqbah: