Benefits of the Hadith: (The parable of the believer who recites the Qur'an is like the citron, whose scent is pleasant and whose taste is pleasant, and the parable of the believer who does not recite the Qur'an . . . )

The Shaykh : These are examples that apply exactly. The believer who recites the Qur'an is like the citron; its taste is pleasant and its scent is pleasant. Its taste is pleasant because he is a believer, and its scent is pleasant because when he recites the Qur'an and teaches it, people benefit from it. The second is the believer who does not recite the Qur'an, who is like the date; its taste is pleasant, but it has no scent. What is meant is that it has no strong scent that spreads to others; otherwise, it does have a scent. As for the hypocrite who recites the Qur'an, he is like what? Like the basil. The basil has a bitter taste, meaning if you chew it, you find it bitter, but its scent is pleasant. This is because he has the Qur'an with him, but he himself is foul and bitter. In this, it is indicated that there may be good from the hypocrite, and that is through the knowledge and Qur'an he possesses, if he spreads it and people benefit from it. But he himself does not benefit from it because he is a disbeliever, may Allah protect us from that. So he does not benefit, as Allah the Exalted said: As for the fourth, he is the hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an. This hypocrite means he appears to be a Muslim but does not recite the Qur'an. He is like the bitter gourd; its taste is bitter and it has no strong scent that attracts people. Even if it has a scent of bitterness, it is not the strong scent that attracts people and from which they benefit.