What is the authenticity of the hadith: “Whoever reads before sleeping: ‘Allah testifies that there is no god but He’”?

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Question:
From the Syrian Arab Republic, this is a message sent by the listener Anwar Muhammad 'Ayd. Brother Anwar says in one of his questions: I heard from a person who claims to have knowledge a hadith attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): that whoever reads before sleeping this verse from Surat al-Imran:

Allah witnesses that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge - [that He is] maintaining [creation] in justice

شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَالْمَلائِكَةُ وَأُوْلُوا الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ

[Al-Imran:18] to the end of the verse, Allah the Exalted creates from his mouth seventy thousand angels who seek forgiveness for him. Is this hadith authentic?

Answer:
I do not know of any basis for it; rather, it is fabricated, a lie attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), with no basis. However, it is recommended for the believer when going to sleep to read Ayat al-Kursi:

Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.

اللَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلا نَوْمٌ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَلا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

[Al-Baqarah:255].
This is Ayat al-Kursi, and it is a great verse, and it is the greatest verse in the Book of Allah . The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us:

That whoever says it when going to sleep, a protector from Allah remains over him, and no Shaytan approaches him until he becomes morning.

أن من قالها عند النوم لا يزال عليه من الله حافظ، ولا يقربه شيطان حتى يصبح

It is also recommended to read along with it:

Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

[Al-Ikhlas:1] and

Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِِ

[Al-Falaq:1] and

Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ

[An-Nas:1] three times when going to sleep.
And if he blows into his hands, reads into his hands, and wipes them over the front of his body, from his head, face, and chest, that is better; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do this when going to sleep, as Aisha informed us about it.
It is also prescribed to say:

I take refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He created

أعوذ بكلمات الله التامات من شر ما خلق

Sunan Abi Dawud 3898Sahih (Al-Albani)

And if he repeats it three times, that is better:

Bismillahil-ladhi la yadurru ma'a ismihi shay'un fil-ardi wa la fis-sama'i wa Huwas-Sami'ul-'Alim

باسم الله الذي لا يضر مع اسمه شيء في الأرض، ولا في السماء، وهو السميع العليم

Sunan Ibn Majah 3869

three times, morning and evening. All of these are among the means of protection, morning and evening.

I take refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He created

أعوذ بكلمات الله التامات من شر ما خلق

Sunan Abi Dawud 3898Sahih (Al-Albani)

three times.