Assalaamualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. Pleace provide me with the ahadeeth that states the following: The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "Recite 'Say: 'I seek refuge in the Lord of Al-Falaq' [i.e. Surah 113]. Do you know what Al-Falaq is? It is a gate in Hell which when opened sets Hell-Fire ablaze. He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam also said: "It is a prison in Hell-Fire wherein are the tyrants and the arrogant. (It is so terrible) that even Hell-Fire seeks refuge (in Allah) from it." Please also state the ahadeeth authenticity. Jazakallahu khayran. Thank you.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

We did not find any explicit scholarly opinions about the authenticity of these two Ahaadeeth. However, it is implied from the commentaries of some scholars on them that they are considered weak.

Imaam As-Suyooti cited them in his book Ad-Durr Al-Manthoor, but he did not mention their chains of narrators. He said: Ibn Mardawayh cited on the authority of ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to him: “Recite {Say: 'I seek refuge in the Lord of Al-Falaq.} Do you know what Al-Falaq is? It is a gate in Hellfire which when opened sets Hellfire ablaze.”

Ibn Mardawayh and Ad-Daylami cited that ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas asked the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, about the interpretation of the verse that reads (what means): {Say: 'I seek refuge in the Lord of Al-Falaq.} He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “It is a prison in Hellfire wherein are the tyrants and the arrogant. (It is so terrible) that even Hellfire seeks refuge (in Allaah) from it.”

Imaam Ash-Shawkaani cited the two Ahaadeeth in his Tafseer according to the same form as As-Suyooti did without referring to their chains of narrators. Ash-Shawkaani said, “Had these Ahaadeeth been authentically attributed to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then they would have been accepted and confirmed.”

He considered the most evident opinion that the meaning of the Arabic word ‘Falaq’ is daybreak and underlined that this was the view held by the majority of Tafseer scholars (interpretors of the Quran). It can be deduced that he did not consider these two Ahaadeeth authentic; otherwise, he would have accepted them and confirmed them as mentioned earlier.

Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah stated that these Ahaadeeth are weak as he said, “Many Tafseer scholars held that the meaning of the Arabic word ‘Falaq’ is daybreak, while others maintained that it means the whole creation. As for those who say that the word refers to a valley or a tree in Hellfire or one of the names of Hellfire, then this is supported neither by the linguistic sense of the word or a tradition that is authentically attributed to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Moreover, there is no wisdom behind referring the Lordship of Allaah to that (a valley or a tree in Hellfire or one of the names of Hellfire), unlike stating that He is the Lord of the daybreak, the Lord of the creation, or the Lord of light that He makes apparent to His slaves during the day; referring to any of these in the context of the verse indicates the greatness of the Lord with whom a person seeks refuge.” [Majmoo’ Al-Fataawa]

Allaah Knows best.