عَنْ أَبي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: وكَّلَني رَسُولُ اللّهِ صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم بِحِفْظِ زَكَاةِ رَمضَانَ، فَأَتَاني آتٍ فَجعلَ يَحْثُو مِنَ الطَّعامِ، فَأخَذْتُهُ فقُلتُ: لأرَفَعَنَّكَ إِلى رسُولِ اللّهِ صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّمَ، قال: إِنِّي مُحتَاجٌ، وعَليَّ عِيَالٌ، وَبِي حَاجَةٌ شَدِيدَةٌ، فَخَلَّيْتُ عَنْهُ، فَأَصْبَحْتُ، فَقَالَ رسُولُ اللّهِ صلَّى اللّهُ علَيْه وسَلَّمَ: «يَا أَبَا هُريْرَةَ، مَا فَعلَ أَسِيرُكَ الْبَارِحَةَ؟» قُلْتُ: يا رسُولَ اللّهِ شَكَا حَاجَةً وعِيَالًا، فَرحِمْتُهُ، فَخَلَّيْتُ سبِيلَهُ، فقالَ: «أَمَا إِنَّهُ قَدْ كَذَبَكَ وسَيَعُودُ» فَعرَفْتُ أَنَّهُ سيعُودُ لِقَوْلِ رسُولِ اللّهِ صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم، فَرصَدْتُهُ، فَجَاءَ يَحْثُو مِنَ الطَّعامِ، فَقُلْتُ: لأَرْفَعنَّكَ إِلى رَسُولِ اللّهِ صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم، قالَ: دعْنِي؛ فَإِنِّي مُحْتاجٌ، وعلَيَّ عِيَالٌ، لا أَعُودُ، فَرَحِمْتُهُ فَخَلَّيْتُ سبِيلَهُ، فَأَصبحتُ، فَقَالَ لي رسُولُ اللّهِ صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم: «يَا أَبا هُريْرةَ، ما فَعلَ أَسِيرُكَ الْبَارِحَةَ؟» قُلْتُ: يا رسُولَ اللهِ شَكَا حاجَةً وَعِيَالًا، فَرحِمْتُهُ فَخَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهُ، فَقَالَ: «إِنَّهُ قَدْ كَذَبَكَ وَسَيَعُودُ»  فَرَصَدْتُهُ الثَّالِثَةَ، فَجاءَ يحْثُو مِنَ الطَّعامِ، فَأَخَذْتُهُ، فَقُلْتُ: لأَرْفَعنَّكَ إِلى رَسُولِ اللّهِ صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم، وهَذَا آخِرُ ثَلاثِ مَرَّاتٍ، إِنَّكَ تَزْعُمُ أَنَّكَ لا تَعُودُ، ثُمَّ تَعُودُ! فقالَ: دَعْنِي فَإِنِّي أُعلِّمُكَ كَلِماتٍ ينْفَعُكَ اللّهُ بِهَا، قُلْتُ: ما هُنَّ؟ قالَ: إِذا أَوَيْتَ إِلى فِراشِكَ فَاقْرَأْ آيَةَ الْكُرْسِيِّ، فَإِنَّهُ لَنْ يَزَالَ عَليْكَ مِنَ اللّهِ حَافِظٌ، وَلا يقْرَبُكَ شَيْطَانٌ حتَّى تُصْبِحَ. فَخَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهُ، فَأَصْبَحْتُ، فقَالَ لي رسُولُ اللّهِ صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم: «ما فَعلَ أَسِيرُكَ الْبَارِحَةَ؟» قُلتُ: يا رَسُولَ اللّهِ زَعمَ أَنَّهُ يُعلِّمُنِي كَلِمَاتٍ ينْفَعُنِي اللّهُ بِهَا، فَخَلَّيْتُ سَبِيلَهُ، قالَ: «مَا هِيَ؟» قُلْتُ: قالَ لِي: إِذا أَويْتَ إِلى فِرَاشِكَ فَاقرَأْ آيَةَ الْكُرْسِيِّ مِنْ أَوَّلِهَا حَتَّى تَخْتِمَ الآيَةَ:  ﴿اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ} [البقرة: ٢٥٥]، وقالَ لِي: لا يَزَالُ علَيْكَ مِنَ اللّهِ حَافِظٌ، وَلَنْ يقْربَكَ شَيْطَانٌ حَتَّى تُصْبِحَ. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّمَ: «أَمَا إِنَّه قَدْ صَدَقَكَ وَهُو كَذُوبٌ، تَعْلَمُ مَنْ تُخَاطِبُ مُنْذُ ثَلاثٍ يا أَبا هُريْرَةَ؟» قُلْتُ: لاَ، قالَ: «ذَاكَ شَيْطَانٌ» رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) put me in charge of guarding the zakat of Ramadan. Someone came and began scooping up handfuls of the food, so I seized him and said: "I will surely take you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." He said: "I am in need, I have dependents, and I am in severe want," so I let him go. In the morning, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu Hurayrah, what did your captive do last night?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah, he complained of need and dependents, so I had mercy on him and let him go free." He said: "Indeed, he lied to you, and he will return." So I knew that he would return, because of the words of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I watched for him. He came scooping up handfuls of the food, so I said: "I will surely take you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." He said: "Let me go, for I am in need and I have dependents; I will not return." So I had mercy on him and let him go free. In the morning, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "O Abu Hurayrah, what did your captive do last night?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah, he complained of need and dependents, so I had mercy on him and let him go free." He said: "Indeed, he lied to you, and he will return." So I watched for him a third time, and he came scooping up handfuls of the food, so I seized him and said: "I will surely take you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); this is the last of three times. You claim you will not return, then you return!" He said: "Let me go, and I will teach you some words by which Allah will benefit you." I said: "What are they?" He said: "When you go to your bed, recite the Verse of the Throne (Ayat al-Kursi), for there will remain over you a guardian from Allah, and no devil will come near you until morning." So I let him go free. In the morning, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "What did your captive do last night?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah, he claimed that he would teach me some words by which Allah would benefit me, so I let him go free." He said: "What were they?" I said: "He said to me: When you go to your bed, recite the Verse of the Throne from its beginning until you complete the verse: 'Allah, there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer' [Surah al-Baqarah: 255]; and he said to me: There will remain over you a guardian from Allah, and no devil will come near you until morning." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, he told you the truth, though he is a persistent liar. Do you know whom you have been speaking with these three nights, O Abu Hurayrah?" I said: "No." He said: "That was a devil." Reported by al-Bukhari.