Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu anhu) did not consider these two surahs to be part of the Qur'an, and if anyone wrote them in a mushaf, he would erase them. He said that these two surahs were only revealed so that people could recite them as a protective supplication (ta‘widh), and those who said that this narration from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu anhu) is not authentic have erred. However, the majority of the Companions and the Followers (Tabi‘in) all hold the view that the two Mu‘awwidhatayn are included in the Qur'an, and consensus (ijma‘) has been established on this. It is possible that the intent of Ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu anhu) was that, although both surahs are the speech of Allah, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not have them written in the mushaf, and therefore, writing them in the mushaf is not necessary.

Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim that the Muslims have consensus (ijma‘) that the two Mu‘awwidhatayn and Surah al-Fatihah are included in the Qur'an, and whoever denies any part of the Qur'an is a disbeliever (kafir), and Hafiz objected to this (Wahidi).

In any case, based on the Uthmani Mushaf, these two surahs are indeed a part of the Noble Qur'an. For fourteen hundred years, their recitation as Qur'an has continued, and in this regard, the Ummah has reached consensus (ijma‘) on their being part of the Qur'an. Therefore, there is no room for doubt or hesitation.

Many scholars have, from the outset, considered the attribution of this statement to Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu anhu) itself to be incorrect, and some have said that Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu anhu) retracted this statement.

Abu ibn Ka‘b (radi Allahu anhu) was asked regarding the Mu‘awwidhatayn whether these two surahs are included in the Qur'an or not.

Hadith Commentary:
1.
Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas are called the Mu'awwidhatayn.
There is no doubt regarding their being the Speech of Allah.
Similarly, there is consensus among all the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma'in) on the Mu'awwidhatayn being part of the Qur'an, and from their era until today, it has been established through continuous transmission (tawatur) that these two surahs are part of the Noble Qur'an. However, regarding Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu ta'ala anhu), there are differing opinions as to whether he considered them a part of the Qur'an or not, the details of which are as follows:
©.
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu ta'ala anhu) did not consider them included in the Qur'an.
It is narrated that he would erase these two surahs from the Qur'an and would say:
“These two are not from the Book of Allah.”
©.
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu ta'ala anhu) did not deny their inclusion in the Qur'an, but he was opposed to writing them in the codex (mushaf).
His opinion was that no part of the Noble Qur'an should be written in the mushaf unless the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) permitted it to be written.
©.
Some scholars have declared the attribution of this statement to Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu ta'ala anhu) itself to be incorrect, because the chain of transmission of the recitation (qira'at) of 'Asim, Hamzah, and Kisai reaches Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu ta'ala anhu), and in this narration, the Mu'awwidhatayn are present.
2.
Our personal inclination is that although Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radi Allahu ta'ala anhu) initially held this view and did not consider them part of the Qur'an, later he retracted and accepted the position of the majority of the scholars, as is evident from the narrations of Imam 'Asim, Hamzah, and Kisai.
And Allah knows best.

Chapter of Sahih Bukhari Hadith No: 7563: «سورة {قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ} :»
Relevance between the Chapter and the Hadith:
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah mentioned Surah al-Nas in the chapter heading, but in the hadith under this chapter, there is apparently no mention of Surah al-Nas.

Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah writes in Fath al-Bari:
«قوله : يقول كذا وكذا هكذا وقع هذا اللفظ مبهما .» [فتح الباري لابن حجر : 643/8]
“That is, the statement of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu «كذا و كذا» is mentioned here with ambiguous wording.”
That is, according to Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah, these words are used ambiguously. In reality, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah is alluding to other narrations on this issue in which Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas are mentioned explicitly.

Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani rahimahullah says:
«واخرج احمد عن ابي بكر بن عياش عن عاصم بلفظ ان عبد الله يقول فى معوذتين .» [فتح الباري لابن حجر : 643/8]
“That is, Imam Ahmad rahimahullah narrated this report through «ابوبكر بن عياش عن عاصم» with the wording that indeed Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu used to say regarding Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas...”
With this narration presented by Imam Ahmad rahimahullah, the narration in Sahih Bukhari is clarified, that the words in Sahih Bukhari «كذا و كذا» refer to saying something about the Mu’awwidhatayn, thus the aspect of relevance between the chapter heading and the hadith becomes clear.

An Objection and Its Answer:
SA A major objection arises regarding the mentioned narration: Why did Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu deny the Mu’awwidhatayn being part of the Qur’an, even though there is consensus of the Ummah on al-Falaq and al-Nas being part of the Qur’an? EA Answering this objection, al-Hafiz Abu al-Fida Imam Ibn Kathir rahimahullah says:
«وهذا مشهور عند كثر من القراء و الفقهاء ان ابن مسعود كان لايكتب المعوذتين فى مصحفه فلعله لم سمعها من النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ولم يتواتر عنده، ثم قد رجع عن قوله ذلك الي قول الجماعة، فان الصحابه رضى الله عنه اثبتوهما فى المصاحف و نفذوها الي سائر الافاق كذلك . . . . .» [تفسير ابن كثير : 515/8]
“This is well-known among many reciters and jurists that Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu did not write the Mu’awwidhatayn in his codex (mushaf). (Therefore, the answer is that) perhaps he did not hear from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam about their being part of the Qur’an, nor were they established for him by tawatur (mass transmission). Then Ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu retracted (from his position) at the insistence of the group of Companions, for indeed the Companions included the Mu’awwidhatayn in the mushaf.”

Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi rahimahullah writes:
«لم ينكر ابن مسعود رضى الله عنه كونهما من القرآن وانكر اثباتهما من المصحف، فانه كان يرى انه لا يكتب فى المصحف شيئا الا ان كان النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم اذن كتابه فيه، و كانه لم يبلغه الاذن فى ذلك» [الابواب و التراجم لصحیح البخاری: 423/5]
“Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu did not deny the Mu’awwidhatayn being part of the Qur’an, rather he only refrained from writing them in the mushaf, because he would only write in the mushaf that for which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam gave him permission to write. Therefore, the permission to write the Mu’awwidhatayn in the mushaf did not reach him (but it did reach other Companions).”

The summary of these discussions is that Sayyiduna Abdullah radi Allahu anhu was not an absolute denier of Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas, but only refrained from writing them in his mushaf because no evidence to write Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas in the mushaf had reached him. It should also be kept in mind that the narration from which it is inferred that Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu denied Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas being part of the Qur’an is weak due to being shaadh (anomalous), because in the mutawatir recitations transmitted from Imam ‘Asim, Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami, Zar ibn Hubaysh, and Abu ‘Amr al-Shaybani, Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas are present. See for details (al-Nashr fi al-Qira’at al-‘Ashr by Ibn al-Jawzi: 1/156).

A principle of hadith science must be remembered here: when a trustworthy narrator contradicts someone more trustworthy than himself in narration, that narration becomes shaadh (anomalous) due to the contradiction of the more trustworthy narrator. The scholars of knowledge are well aware of this principle, that any kind of shaadh in a hadith narration is a sign of its defectiveness and weakness. Thus, Imam Ibn al-Salah rahimahullah writes in his Muqaddimah:
«فالحديث المعلل: هو الحديث الذى اطلع فيه على علة تقدح فى صحته مع ان ظاهره السلامة منها، و يتطرق ذلك الي الاسناد الذى رجاله ثقات، الجامع شروط الصحة من حيث الظاهر. و يستعان على ادراكها بتفرد الراوي وبمخالفة غيره له ......» [النكت على مقدمة ابن الصلاح للذركشي : ص 217]
“So, a mu’allal (defective) hadith is one in which a defect is found that undermines its authenticity, even though on the surface it appears sound and free from flaws. This ‘illah (defect) can occur even in a chain whose narrators are trustworthy and in which all apparent conditions of authenticity are met. The recognition of this defect is attained by those with insight in hadith knowledge through various means: sometimes by seeing that a narrator is alone in reporting, and sometimes by seeing that he contradicts another narrator, and sometimes by other supporting indications.”

From the statement of Imam Ibn al-Salah rahimahullah, it becomes clear that even if a hadith appears authentic, if it contains such a defect as mentioned by Ibn al-Salah, then such narrations will not be accepted, such as shaadh and mu’allal narrations, etc.
Now, if we consider this principle in relation to the hadith in which it is established that Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu denied the Mu’awwidhatayn, then that narration, based on these principles, will be considered mu’allal (defective) or shaadh (anomalous).
➊ These narrations will be included among the mu’allal (defective) ones, because the clear defect in them is that they contradict the recitations from Sayyiduna Abdullah radi Allahu anhu that are established by tawatur, in which the Mu’awwidhatayn are present.
➋ In Musnad Ahmad, where the statement of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu is transmitted, «انهما ليستا من كتاب الله.»
this narration, in light of the principles, will be considered shaadh, and a shaadh narration is not authoritative.

Therefore, the summary is that Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu considered the Mu’awwidhatayn to be part of the Qur’an; the evidence for him not accepting them, in light of the principles, will be considered shaadh. «و الله اعلم»

Fiqh al-Hadith
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas'ud radi Allahu anhu was certainly not a denier of these two surahs, because Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud radi Allahu anhu believed that both these surahs were revealed by Allah, the Lord of Might, to the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. However, what prevented him from retaining them in his codex (mushaf) is as follows:
◈ He understood that these surahs were revealed solely for the purpose of ruqyah (incantation).
◈ He had not heard the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam recite these surahs in prayer. [مسند احمد 130/5 ح 21189] And this is merely a lack of knowledge, because the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam not only recited these surahs himself in prayer [مسند احمد 4/ 149 ح 17483 و سنده حسن] but also commanded that they be recited. See [مسند احمد 5 /25 ح 20284 و سندہ حسن]. And due to this ijtihad (independent reasoning) of Sayyiduna Abdullah radi Allahu anhu, no doubt is cast upon the authenticity of the Qur'an.
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas'ud radi Allahu anhu considered al-Mu'awwidhatayn to be surahs revealed from Allah; this is why he initially wrote both of them in his codices.

Hadith Commentary:
The excellence of the wisdom and integrity of Ubayy ibn Ka'b radi Allahu anhu is evident in that, to avoid disagreement, he conveyed in response to the mentioned question only those words which he had heard from the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. This also implicitly indicates that if he had considered these surahs to be separate from the Qur'an, he would have immediately stated so. His silence on this matter indicates that he regarded them as part of the Noble Qur'an.

Hadith Commentary:
The excellence of the wisdom and integrity of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b radi Allahu anhu is evident in that, to avoid disagreement, he reported the very words he had heard from the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in response to the aforementioned question.
From this approach, it becomes clear that if he had considered these surahs to be separate from the Noble Qur’an, he would have immediately stated that they are not part of the Qur’an.
His manner of speech indicates that he considered these surahs to be part of the Qur’an.

Necessary Note:
There are four things necessarily involved in the act of seeking refuge:
➊ The act of seeking refuge itself,
➋ the one seeking refuge,
➌ the one whose refuge is sought, and
➍ the one from whom refuge is sought.
For example, when we seek refuge with Allah from Satan, we ourselves are the seekers of refuge, we seek the refuge of Allah, and we seek protection from the evil of Satan. Our supplication to Allah is the act of seeking refuge.

In the first surah, al-Falaq, four things are mentioned from which refuge is sought, by reference to one attribute of Allah:
Refuge is sought from the evil of creation, the evil of the night, the evil of those who blow on knots, and the evil of the envier.
Whereas in the second surah (an-Nas), by reference to three attributes of Allah, refuge is sought from only one thing, and that is the evil of the whisperer, the retreating one (waswas, khannas).
This means that seeking refuge from the whisperer, the retreating one, is of great significance, for which the intercession of three attributes of Allah—Lord of mankind, King of mankind, and God of mankind—has been invoked.

In any case, in this surah, refuge is being sought from Satan.
A person seeks refuge from someone only when he cannot face the adversary alone.
There is no doubt that Iblis, from the very beginning, has sworn that he will mislead the children of Adam, and he has sworn that he will sit on the path by which they attain success in the Hereafter, in order to mislead them.
That is why Allah Ta‘ala has said:
“Beware! Satan is your enemy, so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party so that they may become companions of the Fire.”
This means that one should maintain severe enmity and hostility towards this accursed one.
One must strive with utmost effort to avoid his deception, trickery, and schemes, just as a person takes precautions against an enemy; the only effective measure is the refuge of Allah Ta‘ala.
A person should seek the protection of Allah to be saved from his mischief.

In this surah, his method of operation is also described: he does not mislead someone by grabbing their arm, but rather he casts whispers and shows alluring visions, and to ensnare people in his trap, he presents worldly deeds as attractive, while Allah Ta‘ala has said:
“If a whisper from Satan comes to you, then immediately seek refuge with Allah; surely He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (: Ha Mim as-Sajdah: 41)

In any case, Satan has fulfilled the assumption he expressed from the very beginning, as Allah Ta‘ala has said:
“And Satan proved true his assumption about them, so they all followed him, except for a group of the believers.” (: Saba: 34/20)
Although Satan only uses the weapon of whispering; apart from this, he has no authority.
On the Day of Resurrection, he will openly declare his lack of authority. When the matter is decided, Satan will say:
“Allah promised you a true promise, and I promised you but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you and you responded to me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your associating me with Allah before. Surely, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment.” (: Ibrahim: 22/14)

The only way to be saved from Satan is to seek refuge with Allah Ta‘ala, as Allah Ta‘ala commanded His Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam:
“O my Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings of the devils. And I seek refuge with You, my Lord, lest they come near me.” (: al-Mu’minun: 97, 98)

In this regard, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam taught us this supplication:
(A‘udhu billahi al-‘azim wa bi-wajhihi al-karim wa sultanihi al-qadim min ash-shaytan ir-rajim)
If this supplication is recited, Satan says:
“Today, for the whole day, this person is protected from me.”
(: Sunan Abi Dawud, Salat, Hadith: 466)

Benefit:
From this hadith, it is established that the two chapters of seeking refuge (al-Mu'awwidhatayn) are part of the Noble Qur'an. In case of any disagreement, it is obligatory to refer back to the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and true salvation lies in giving precedence to what is established by the Qur'an and the Sunnah.