And prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
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The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted, in the context of the hadiths in the chapter on the virtue of reciting the Qur'an: "Narrated by Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 995 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim".
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) presented this hadith in the chapter on the virtue of reciting the Qur'an in *Riyad al-Saliheen*, in explaining the categories of people in relation to the Qur'an:
That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave examples for the believer and the hypocrite. The believer is either a reader of the Qur'an or not a reader. If he is a reader of the Qur'an, his example is like the citron, meaning the bergamot: its scent is pleasant and its taste is pleasant. This is the believer who recites the Qur'an, because his soul is pure and his heart is pure, and he is a source of good for others; sitting with him is a good thing. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:, the believer who recites the Qur'an is all good, in himself and in his effect on others. He is like the citron, which has a pleasant, distinct scent and a pleasant taste.
As for the believer who does not recite the Qur'an, he is like the date: its taste is sweet, but it does not have a scent like the scent of the citron. That is, it does not have a distinct, clear scent; it has no scent. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) denied that it has a scent, because it is not an apparent, clear scent, even though everything has a scent. But its scent is not distinct enough to attract people. However, it is sweet and good. This is the believer who does not recite the Qur'an. Thus, the believer who reads the Qur'an is far better than the believer who does not read the Qur'an. And the meaning of "does not read it" is that he does not know it and has not learned it.
The example of the hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like the mint: it has a pleasant scent, but its taste is bitter. This is because the hypocrite is inherently vile and there is no good in him. The hypocrite is the one who appears to be a Muslim, but his heart is a disbeliever, may Allah protect us from that. He is the one about whom Allah said:[Al-Baqarah 2:8-10].
There are hypocrites who recite the Qur'an with a beautiful, measured, and excellent recitation, but they are hypocrites, may Allah protect us from that. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the Khawarij:: These people, may Allah protect us from that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) gave them the example of the mint: its scent is pleasant, due to the Qur'an they possess, and its taste is bitter, due to the vileness of their intentions and the corruption of their motives.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) gave the example of the hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an as the colocynth: its taste is bitter and it has no scent. This is the hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an; there is no good in him: his taste is bitter and he does not have the Qur'an for people to benefit from. These are the categories of people in relation to the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So strive, O my Muslim brother, to be among the believers who recite the Qur'an and recite it with its due recitation, so that you may be like the citron: with a pleasant scent and a pleasant taste. And Allah is the One who grants success.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted, in the context of the hadiths in the chapter on the virtue of reciting the Qur'an: "Narrated by Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The believer who recites the Qur'an is like a citron whose fragrance is sweet and whose taste is delicious. A believer who does not recite the Qur'an is like a date-fruit which has no fragrance but has a sweet taste. The hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like basil whose fragrance is so sweet, but its taste is bitter. The hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an is like a colocynth which has no fragrance and its taste is bitter.
مثلُ المؤمن الذي يقرأ القرآن مثل الأترجَّة ريحها طيب وطعمها طيب، ومثل المؤمن الذي لا يقرأ القرآن كمثل التمرة، لا ريح لها وطعمها حلو، ومثل المنافق الذي يقرأ القرآن كمثل الريحانة، ريحها طيب وطعمها مُر، ومثل المنافق الذي لا يقرأ القرآن كمثل الحنظلة، ليس لها ريح وطعمها مُرّThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) presented this hadith in the chapter on the virtue of reciting the Qur'an in *Riyad al-Saliheen*, in explaining the categories of people in relation to the Qur'an:
That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave examples for the believer and the hypocrite. The believer is either a reader of the Qur'an or not a reader. If he is a reader of the Qur'an, his example is like the citron, meaning the bergamot: its scent is pleasant and its taste is pleasant. This is the believer who recites the Qur'an, because his soul is pure and his heart is pure, and he is a source of good for others; sitting with him is a good thing. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The example of the good companion is like the one who carries musk: either he sells it to you, or he gives you a piece of it, or you find a pleasant scent from it.
مثل الجليس الصالح كمثل حامل المسك إما أن يبيعك أو يَحذيك أو تجد منه رائحة طيبةAs for the believer who does not recite the Qur'an, he is like the date: its taste is sweet, but it does not have a scent like the scent of the citron. That is, it does not have a distinct, clear scent; it has no scent. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) denied that it has a scent, because it is not an apparent, clear scent, even though everything has a scent. But its scent is not distinct enough to attract people. However, it is sweet and good. This is the believer who does not recite the Qur'an. Thus, the believer who reads the Qur'an is far better than the believer who does not read the Qur'an. And the meaning of "does not read it" is that he does not know it and has not learned it.
The example of the hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like the mint: it has a pleasant scent, but its taste is bitter. This is because the hypocrite is inherently vile and there is no good in him. The hypocrite is the one who appears to be a Muslim, but his heart is a disbeliever, may Allah protect us from that. He is the one about whom Allah said:
(8) And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allah and the Last Day," but they are not believers. (9) They [think to] deceive Allah and those who believe, but they deceive not except themselves and perceive [it] not. (10) In their hearts is disease, so Allah has increased their disease; and for them is a painful punishment because they [habitually] used to lie.
ومن الناس يقول آمنا بالله وباليوم الأخر وما هم بمؤمنين * يُخادعون الله والذين آمنوا وما يخدعون إلا أنفسهم وما يشعرون * في قلوبهم مرض فزادهم الله مرضًا ولهم عذاب أليم بما كانوا يكذبونThere are hypocrites who recite the Qur'an with a beautiful, measured, and excellent recitation, but they are hypocrites, may Allah protect us from that. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the Khawarij:
They recite the Qur'an, but it does not go beyond their throats.
يقرؤون القرآن لا يتجاوز حناجرهمThe Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) gave the example of the hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an as the colocynth: its taste is bitter and it has no scent. This is the hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an; there is no good in him: his taste is bitter and he does not have the Qur'an for people to benefit from. These are the categories of people in relation to the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So strive, O my Muslim brother, to be among the believers who recite the Qur'an and recite it with its due recitation, so that you may be like the citron: with a pleasant scent and a pleasant taste. And Allah is the One who grants success.