The Parable of the Believer and the Hypocrite who Read the Qur'an — Sunan an-Nasa'i

Chain of narration · Isnād

Each narrator name opens their biography and classical source evidence.

6 transmitters

Narrated by 'Amr bin 'Ali bin Bahr al-BahlifromYazid bin Zari'fromSa'id bin Abi Sa'id (Kaysan)fromQatadafromAnas bin MalikfromAbu Musa al-Asha'ari

Hadith text · Matn

أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدٌ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ أَنَّ أَبَا مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيَّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ مَثَلُ الْأُتْرُجَّةِ طَعْمُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَرِيحُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَمَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي لَا يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ التَّمْرَةِ طَعْمُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَلَا رِيحَ لَهَا وَمَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الرَّيْحَانَةِ رِيحُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَطَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ وَمَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ الَّذِي لَا يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الْحَنْظَلَةِ طَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ وَلَا رِيحَ لَهَا

English translation

Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari said:

"The Prophet (ﷺ) [ﷺ] said: 'The parable of the believer who recites the Qur'an is that of a citron, the taste and smell of which are good. The parable of a believer who does not read the Qur'an is that of a date, the taste of which is good but it has no smell. The parable of a hypocrite who reads the Qur'an is that of basil, the smell of which is good but its taste is bitter. And the parable of a hypocrite who does not read the Qur'an is that of a colocynth (bitter-apple), the taste of which is bitter and it has no smell.'"