Virtue of Reading Quran

Reciting and memorizing the Holy Quran is among the most beloved righteous deeds by which a servant draws near to his Lord, Glorified and Exalted, and attains His pleasure. Preserving and continually reciting the Quran carries numerous virtues and fruits, beyond the immense reward for doing so — it is a means to living a good life, entering Paradise, and being saved from the Fire, and a cause of happiness in this life and the next.

Benefits of Memorizing the Quran and the Fruits of Reciting It:

• Reciting it is an act of obedience to Allah's command: "So recite what is easy from the Quran," and it follows the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, who devoted great care to the Book of Allah.
• Whoever recites the Quran as it truly deserves is granted firm faith, as in: "Those to whom We have given the Book recite it as it should be recited; those are the ones who believe in it" (Al-Baqarah: 121).
• Reciting it is a means to success, salvation, and profit in this life and the next, as in: "Indeed, those who recite the Book of Allah and establish prayer and spend from what We have provided for them, secretly and publicly, expect a transaction that will never perish" (Fatir: 29).
• Allah has praised those who recite His verses, saying: "They are not all the same; among the People of the Scripture is a community standing [in obedience], reciting the verses of Allah during periods of the night and prostrating [in prayer]" (Aal-'Imran: 113).
• The Book of Allah is guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of guidance and the criterion.
• It contains guidance and glad tidings for the believers of a great reward, as Allah says: "Indeed, this Quran guides to that which is most suitable and gives good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a great reward" (Al-Isra: 9).
• Memorizing and reciting the Quran is a means for a Muslim to attain the Quran's intercession on the Day of Judgment.
• It is better than this world and all its pleasures.
• Through it, a Muslim can attain the rank of being among the people of Allah and those closest to Him.
• In the Book of Allah is healing and mercy, as He says: "And We send down of the Quran that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss" (Al-Isra: 82).

Hadiths on the Virtue of Reciting the Quran

● Abu Umamah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say: "Recite the Quran, for it will come on the Day of Resurrection as an intercessor for its companions." (Narrated by Muslim.)

● An-Nawwas ibn Sam'an, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say: "The Quran will be brought on the Day of Resurrection along with those who used to act upon it in this world, preceded by Surah Al-Baqarah and Aal-'Imran, arguing on behalf of those who recited them." (Narrated by Muslim.)

● 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "The best among you are those who learn the Quran and teach it." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari.)

● 'Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "The one who recites the Quran skillfully is with the noble, righteous scribes [angels], and the one who recites it with difficulty, stumbling over it, will have a double reward." (Agreed upon.)

● Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "The believer who recites the Quran is like a citron: its fragrance is pleasant and its taste is sweet. The believer who does not recite the Quran is like a date: it has no fragrance, but its taste is sweet. The hypocrite who recites the Quran is like sweet basil: its fragrance is pleasant but its taste is bitter. The hypocrite who does not recite the Quran is like a colocynth: it has no fragrance and its taste is bitter." (Agreed upon.)

● 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Indeed, Allah raises some peoples by this Book and lowers others by it." (Narrated by Muslim.)

● Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported from the Prophet, peace be upon him: "There is no envy except in two: a man whom Allah has given the Quran, so he stands with it during the hours of the night and day, and a man whom Allah has given wealth, so he spends it during the hours of the night and day." (Agreed upon.)

● Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported: A man was reciting Surah Al-Kahf, and near him was a horse tethered with two ropes. A cloud came over him and began drawing closer, and his horse began to shy away from it. In the morning he came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and mentioned this to him, and he said: "That was tranquility (sakeenah), descending because of the Quran." (Agreed upon.)

● Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah receives a good deed for it, and a good deed is multiplied tenfold. I do not say that 'Alif Lam Meem' is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter, and Meem is a letter." (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as good and authentic.)

● Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Indeed, the one who has nothing of the Quran in his chest is like a ruined house." (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as good and authentic.)

● 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn Al-'Aas, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported from the Prophet, peace be upon him: "It will be said to the companion of the Quran: recite and ascend, and recite carefully as you used to recite carefully in the world, for your rank will be at the last verse you recite." (Narrated by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as good and authentic.)

(These hadiths are taken from Riyad As-Saliheen, the Book of Virtues, the chapter on the Virtue of Reciting the Quran.)