Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I was leading the mount of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) by holding its rein in one of those mountain passes, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "O beloved Uqbah, will you not ride?" So I considered it a great disrespect to ride on the mount of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) again said: "Beloved Uqbah, will you not ride?" So I became afraid that I might disobey the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dismounted, and I rode on it for a short while. Then I dismounted, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) mounted again. (After a while) the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Beloved Uqbah, shall I not teach you two of the best surahs that people have recited?" I said: O Messenger of Allah, please do teach me. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited to me (these two surahs) «‏‏‏‏قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة الفلق ] and «‏‏‏‏قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة الناس ] . Then the prayer was established, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led the prayer, and recited these two surahs. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by me and said: "Beloved Uqbah, how did you find (the status and rank of) these two surahs? Recite these two surahs when you go to sleep and when you wake up." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the words of the hadith mean: whenever you are about to sleep or wake up. This is of the same kind as I have explained, that the Arabs use the word "na'im" for one who lies down, and also for one whose mind has been overtaken by sleep. The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Recite these two surahs when you sleep," means when you lie down to sleep, because if "na'im" is taken to mean a person whose mind has been overtaken (by sleep), then addressing such a person is impossible and inconceivable, that it be said to him: when you sleep, and your mind is overtaken, then recite the Mu'awwidhatayn. Similarly, the meaning of the hadith of Sayyiduna Buraidah (may Allah be pleased with him), narrated from Imran bin Husayn, is (in which it is mentioned) that the reward of the prayer of the one who sleeps is half the reward of the one who prays sitting; in this hadith too, by "the one who sleeps" you mean the one who lies down. It does not mean the "na'im" whose mind has been overtaken by sleep, because such a "na'im" (sleeper) whose mind has been overtaken is not addressed for prayer, and due to the loss of mind, it is not possible for him to pray.