The Morning and Evening Supplications

Q: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever says when he wakes up in the morning and when he goes to bed in the evening, ‘Hasbi Allah, la ilaha illa Huwa, ‘alayhi tawakkaltu wa Huwa Rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘Azeem’ (My sufficient is Allah, there is no god but He, upon Him I have relied, and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne), seven times, Allah the Exalted will suffice him in whatever matters of this world and the Hereafter concern him.” Is this hadith authentic or not?

A: This hadith is reported as mawquf (stopping at a Companion) from Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him), narrated by Abu Dawud in his Sunan with a good chain of transmission. Its wording is: It ends there, and it does not contain the addition mentioned, which is: “from the matters of this world and the Hereafter.” It is a hadith mawquf to Abu al-Darda, not a hadith marfu’ (traced to the Prophet) to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but it is considered equivalent to a marfu’ hadith because such a statement is made based on opinion. And success is from Allah.