Explanation of Riyad al-Salihin-63a

The reciter: The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted, in the context of the hadiths in the chapter on encouraging the recitation of specific surahs and verses:
"Narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: وكَّلني رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بحفظ زكاة رمضان ، فأتاني آتٍ فجعل يحثو من الطعام ، فأخذته فقلت : لأرفعنَّك إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، قال : إني محتاج وعليَّ عيال، وبي حاجة شديدة ، فخليت عنه ، فأصبحت ، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : يا أبا هريرة ، ما فعل أسيرك البارحة ؟ فقلت : يا رسول الله شكا حاجة وعيالًا ، فرحمته ، فخليت سبيله. فقال : أما إنه قد كذبك وسيعود . فعرفت أنه سيعود لقول رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فرصدته ، فجاء يحثو من الطعام ، فقلت : لأرفعنك إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، قال : دعني فإني محتاج ، وعليَّ عيالٌ ، لا أعود ، فرحمته وخليت سبيله ، فأصبحت فقال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : يا أبا هريرة ما فعل أسيرك البارحة ؟ قلت : يا رسول الله شكا حاجة وعيالاً فرحمته ، وخليت سبيله ، فقال : إنه قد كذبك وسيعود ، فرصدته الثالثة ، فجاء يحثو من الطعام ، فأخذته ، فقلت : لأرفعنك إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وهذا آخر ثلاث مرات أنك تزعم أنك لا تعود ، فقال : دعني ، فإني أعلمك كلمات ينفعك الله بها ، قلت : ما هن ؟ قال : إذا أويت إلى فراشك فاقرأ آية الكرسي ، فإنه لا يزال عليك من الله حافظ، ولن يقربك شيطان حتى تصبح ، فخليت سبيله فأصبحت ، فقال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ما فعل أسيرك البارحة ؟ فقلت : يا رسول الله زعم أنه يعلمني كلمات ينفعني الله بها، فخليت سبيله. فقال : ما هي ؟ فقلت : قال لي : إذا أويت إلى فراشك فاقرأ آية الكرسي من أولها حتى تختم الآية : الله لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم ، وقال لي : لا يزال عليك من الله حافظ ، ولن يقربك شيطان حتى تصبح .
فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : أما إنه قد صدقك وهو كذوب ، تعلم من تخاطب منذ ثلاثٍ يا أبا هريرة ؟ قلت : لا، قال : ذاك شيطان The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entrusted me with the custody of the zakat of Ramadan. A man came to me and began scooping up food. I seized him and said, "I will surely bring you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." He said, "I am in need, I have dependents, and I have a severe necessity." So I let him go. When morning came, 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." He said, "He has lied to you and he will return." I knew he would return because of the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so I lay in wait for him. He came and began scooping up food. I said, "I will surely bring you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." He said, "Let me go, for I am in need and have dependents, and I will not return." I had mercy on him and let him go. When morning came, 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." He said, "He has lied to you and he will return." I lay in wait for him the third time. He came and began scooping up food. I seized him and said, "I will surely bring you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and this is the third time you claim you will not return." He said, "Let me go, for I will teach you words by which Allah will benefit you." I said, "What are they?" He said, "When you go to your bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi, for there will not cease to be over you a guardian from Allah, and no devil will approach you until you rise in the morning." So I let him go. When morning came, 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 he would teach me words by which Allah would benefit me, so I let him go." He said, "What are they?" I said, "He said to me: When you go to your bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi from its beginning until you complete the verse: 'Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer.' And he said to me: There will not cease to be over you a guardian from Allah, and no devil will approach you until you rise in the morning." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "He has told you the truth, and he is a liar. Do you know whom you have been speaking to for three days, O Abu Hurayrah?" I said, "No." He said, "That was a devil." Al-Bukhari narrated it".

The Shaykh : This is a wondrous and great story, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entrusted Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) with the charity of Ramadan, meaning the fidyah, to guard it. They used to collect it one or two days before the festival, and Abu Hurayrah was its agent. One night, this man came and began scooping up food. Abu Hurayrah seized him and said: . This is one of the signs of Allah, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was not present, but he knew of it through revelation. He said: , meaning he lied to you; he has no dependents and no need. . The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) believed in what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) informed them of, just as they believed in what they saw with their own eyes, or even more so. He said: . He had mercy on him even though the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) had said: , because Abu Hurayrah knew the forbearance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the breadth of his chest, and that he would not reprimand him. And indeed, he did not reprimand him. . The third time: , meaning this time I have no choice but to bring you, because you said three times that you would not return, yet you returned. He said: دعني وإني أعلمك كلمات ينفعك الله بهن ، قال : وما هن ؟ قال : آية الكرسي الله لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم إذا أويت إلى فراشك Leave me, and I will teach you words by which Allah will benefit you. He said: What are they? He said: The Verse of the Throne: Allah, there is no deity except He, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer. When you go to your bed., meaning when you go to sleep. : A few words that protect you; if you had placed many guards, a hundred guards, they would not have been able to prevent the devils from you, but these few words protect you by Allah. : Meaning, this time his statement that if you recite this verse, there will not cease to be over you a guardian from Allah, and no devil will approach you until you rise in the morning, is true. He told you the truth, and he is a liar.
: A devil disguised in the form of a human, and he has children. In this hadith, there are many benefits.