وَعَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيِّ
قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مثل الْمُؤمن الَّذِي يقْرَأ الْقُرْآن كَمثل الْأُتْرُجَّةِ رِيحُهَا طِيبٌ وَطَعْمُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَمَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي لَا يقْرَأ الْقُرْآن كَمثل التمرة لَا ريح لَهَا وطعمها حلوومثل الْمُنَافِقِ الَّذِي لَا يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الْحَنْظَلَةِ لَيْسَ لَهَا رِيحٌ وَطَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ وَمَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ الَّذِي يقْرَأ الْقُرْآن مثل الريحانة رِيحهَا طيب وَطَعْمُهَا مَرٌّ» وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: «الْمُؤْمِنُ الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ وَيَعْمَلُ بِهِ كَالْأُتْرُجَّةِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُ الَّذِي لَا يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ وَيَعْمَلُ بِهِ كَالتَّمْرَةِ»
Abu Musa al-Ashari reported God’s messenger as saying, “A believer who recites the Qur’an is like a citron whose fragrance is sweet and whose taste is sweet, a believer who does not recite the Qur’an is like a date which has no fragrance but has a sweet state, a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur’an is like the colocynth which has no fragrance and has a better taste, and the hypocrite who recites the Qur’an is like basil whose fragrance is sweet but whose taste is bitter.”
A version has, “A believer who recites the Qur’an and acts according to it is like a citron, and a believer who does not recite the Qur’an but acts according to it is like a date.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)