While I was leading the mount of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ through one of those mountain passes, he said to me, "Uqba, will you not ride?"I felt it would be improper to ride the Messenger of Allah's mount.Then he said, "Little Uqba, will you not ride?"I feared that refusing might be disobedience.So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ dismounted, and I rode for a little while, then he mounted again. Then he said, "Little Uqba, shall I not teach you two surahs that are among the best two surahs people recite?"I said, "Of course, Messenger of Allah."So he taught me "Say, I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak" [Falaq 113:1] and "Say, I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind" [Nas 114:1].Then the prayer was called, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stepped forward and recited them in the prayer. Afterwards he passed by me and said, "What did you think, little Uqba? Recite them whenever you go to sleep and whenever you rise."Abu Abdul-Rahman said, He is Uqba bin Amir bin Abis, though Ibn Abs al-Juhani said otherwise.
حدثنا الوليد بن مسلم قال حدثنا ابن جابر عن القاسم أبي عبد الرحمن
بينا أنا أقود برسول الله ﷺ في نقب من تلك النقاب إذ قال لي يا عقبة ألا تركب قال فأجللت رسول الله ﷺ أن أركب مركبه ثم قال يا عقيب ألا تركب قال فأشفقت أن تكون معصية قال فنزل رسول الله ﷺ وركبت هنية ثم ركب ثم قال يا عقيب ألا أعلمك سورتين من خير سورتين قرأ بهما الناس قال قلت بلى يا رسول الله قال فأقرأني قل أعوذ برب الفلق وقل أعوذ برب الناس ثم أقيمت الصلاة فتقدم رسول الله ﷺ فقرأ بهما ثم مر بي قال كيف رأيت يا عقيب اقرأ بهما كلما نمت وكلما قمت قال أبو عبد الرحمن هو عقبة بن عامر بن عابس وقال ابن عبس الجهني
Its isnad is sahih. Ibn Jabir is Abdul-Rahman bin Yazid bin Jabir, a trustworthy narrator mentioned previously, and Qasim Abu Abdul-Rahman is Qasim bin Abdul-Rahman al-Dimashqi, whose hadith is only correct when a trustworthy narrator transmits from him.The hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud, 2/73, no. 1462, in the book of prayer, chapter on the two protective surahs, and by Nasai, 8/253, no. 5437, in the book of seeking refuge.