The Excellence of the Carriers of the Holy Quran

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرْآنِ فِي أَعْلَى دَرَجَةٍ مِنَ الْآدَمِيِّينَ مَا خَلَا النَّبِيِّينَ وَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ فَلَا تَسْتَضْعِفُوا أَهْلَ الْقُرْآنِ حُقُوقَهُمْ فَإِنَّ لَهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْجَبَّارِ لَمَكَاناً عَلِيّاً.

‘The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘People of the Holy Quran are of the highest degree among men, except the prophets and the messengers of Allah, thus, you should not consider them weak in the matters of their rights; with Allah, the Most Majestic, the Almighty, they have a special status.’”

الْحَافِظُ لِلْقُرْآنِ الْعَامِلُ بِهِ مَعَ السَّفَرَةِ الْكِرَامِ الْبَرَرَةِ.

‘One who has memorized the Holy Quran and acts upon it will be with the honorable and righteous angels.”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ تَعَلَّمُوا الْقُرْآنَ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ صَاحِبَهُ فِي صُورَةِ شَابٍّ جَمِيلٍ شَاحِبِ اللَّوْنِ فَيَقُولُ لَهُ الْقُرْآنُ‌[1] أَنَا الَّذِي كُنْتُ أَسْهَرْتُ لَيْلَكَ وَ أَظْمَأْتُ هَوَاجِرَكَ وَ أَجْفَفْتُ رِيقَكَ وَ أَسَلْتُ دَمْعَتَكَ أَئُولُ مَعَكَ حَيْثُمَا أُلْتَ وَ كُلُّ تَاجِرٍ مِنْ وَرَاءِ تِجَارَتِهِ وَ أَنَا الْيَوْمَ لَكَ مِنْ وَرَاءِ تِجَارَةِ كُلِّ تَاجِرٍ وَ

3. Through the same chain of narrators it is narrated from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) who has said the following: ‘‘The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Learn the Holy Quran; on the Day of Judgment it will come to his friends in the form of a most beautiful young person of pale complexion and will speak to his friend saying, “

مَنْ قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ وَ هُوَ شَابٌّ مُؤْمِنٌ اخْتَلَطَ الْقُرْآنُ بِلَحْمِهِ وَ دَمِهِ وَ جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مَعَ السَّفَرَةِ الْكِرَامِ الْبَرَرَةِ وَ كَانَ الْقُرْآنُ حَجِيزاً عَنْهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ كُلَّ عَامِلٍ قَدْ أَصَابَ أَجْرَ عَمَلِهِ غَيْرَ عَامِلِي فَبَلِّغْ بِهِ أَكْرَمَ عَطَايَاكَ قَالَ‌ فَيَكْسُوهُ اللَّهُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ حُلَّتَيْنِ مِنْ حُلَلِ الْجَنَّ

“If a young believing person reads the Holy Quran, it mixes with his flesh and blood. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will include him among the honorable and virtuous carriers of the message of Allah and on the Day of Judgment the Holy Quran will be his supporter. The Holy Quran will say, ‘O Lord, every worke

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ إِنَّ أَحَقَّ النَّاسِ بِالتَّخَشُّعِ فِي السِّرِّ وَ الْعَلَانِيَةِ لَحَامِلُ الْقُرْآنِ وَ إِنَّ أَحَقَّ النَّاسِ فِي السِّرِّ وَ الْعَلَانِيَةِ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَ الصَّوْمِ لَحَامِلُ الْقُرْآنِ ثُمَّ نَادَى بِأَعْلَى صَوْتِهِ يَا حَامِلَ الْقُرْآنِ تَوَاضَعْ بِهِ يَرْفَعْكَ اللَّهُ وَ لَا تَعَزَّزْ بِهِ فَيُذِلَّكَ اللَّهُ يَا حَامِلَ الْقُرْآنِ تَزَيَّنْ بِهِ لِلَّهِ يُزَيِّنْكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘The one expected to be the most humble in private and in public is the carrier of the Holy Quran, the one expected the most to perform prayer and fast in private and in public is the carrier of the Holy Quran. Then he called out loud, “O carrier of the Holy Quran, be humble with the h

النَّاسُ أَرْبَعَةٌ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ وَ مَا هُمْ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ أُوتِيَ الْإِيمَانَ وَ لَمْ يُؤْتَ الْقُرْآنَ وَ رَجُلٌ أُوتِيَ الْقُرْآنَ وَ لَمْ يُؤْتَ الْإِيمَانَ وَ رَجُلٌ أُوتِيَ الْقُرْآنَ وَ أُوتِيَ الْإِيمَانَ وَ رَجُلٌ‌ لَمْ يُؤْتَ الْقُرْآنَ وَ لَا الْإِيمَانَ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَسِّرْ لِي حَالَهُمْ فَقَالَ أَمَّا الَّذِي أُوتِيَ الْإِيمَانَ وَ لَمْ يُؤْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ

“People are of four kinds. I (the narrator) then asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, who are they?’ The Imam said, ‘A man who has received belief but not the Holy Quran, a man who has received the Holy Quran but not belief, a man who has received both belief and the Holy Quran and a man who has re

قُلْتُ لِعَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ ع أَيُّ الْأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ الْحَالُّ الْمُرْتَحِلُ‌[3] قُلْتُ وَ مَا الْحَالُّ الْمُرْتَحِلُ قَالَ فَتْحُ الْقُرْآنِ وَ خَتْمُهُ كُلَّمَا جَاءَ بِأَوَّلِهِ ارْتَحَلَ فِي آخِرِهِ وَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص مَنْ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ الْقُرْآنَ فَرَأَى أَنَّ رَجُلًا أُعْطِيَ أَفْضَلَ مِمَّا أُعْطِيَ فَقَدْ صَغَّرَ عَظِيماً وَ عَظَّمَ صَغِيراً.

“Once I asked Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) ‘What deed is more virtuous?’ He said, ‘Al-Hall al- Murtahal .’ I then asked, ‘What is al-Hall al-MurtahalT The Imam said, ‘It is one who opens the Holy Quran and completes reading, whenever he begins he arrives at the end of the Holy Quran.’ The Imam said that the Messenger of Al

قَالَ لِي أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ مَنْ قَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ فَهُوَ غَنِيٌّ وَ لَا فَقْرَ بَعْدَهُ وَ إِلَّا مَا بِهِ غِنًى‌[4].

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) once said to me, ‘If anyone reads the Holy Quran, he is wealthy and there is no poverty thereafter, otherwise, he will never be wealthy.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ يَا مَعَاشِرَ قُرَّاءِ الْقُرْآنِ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِيمَا حَمَّلَكُمْ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ فَإِنِّي مَسْئُولٌ وَ إِنَّكُمْ مَسْئُولُونَ إِنِّي مَسْئُولٌ عَنْ تَبْلِيغِ الرِّسَالَةِ وَ أَمَّا أَنْتُمْ فَتُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا حُمِّلْتُمْ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَ سُنَّتِي.

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘O community of the readers of the Holy Quran be pious before Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, in the matters of the responsibility that He has placed upon you toward His book. I will be questioned and you will be questioned. I will be questioned about the preaching of the mess

سَمِعْتُ مُوسَى بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ ع يَقُولُ لِرَجُلٍ أَ تُحِبُّ الْبَقَاءَ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَقَالَ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ وَ لِمَ قَالَ لِقِرَاءَةِ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ فَسَكَتَ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ بَعْدَ سَاعَةٍ يَا حَفْصُ مَنْ مَاتَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِنَا وَ شِيعَتِنَا وَ لَمْ يُحْسِنِ الْقُرْآنَ عُلِّمَ فِي قَبْرِهِ لِيَرْفَعَ اللَّهُ بِهِ مِنْ دَرَجَتِهِ فَإِنَّ دَرَجَاتِ الْجَنَّةِ عَلَى قَدْرِ آيَاتِ الْقُرْآنِ يُقَالُ لَه

“I heard Musa ibn Ja’far (a.s.) asking a man, ‘Do you like to live forever in this world’? The man said, ‘Yes, I do so.’ The Imam asked, ‘Why would you do so?’ The man said, ‘So that I can read {Say, "He is God, the One"}’ The Imam (a.s.) remained calm for a while and after an hour said, ‘O Hafs, if any of our lovers a

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ حَمَلَةُ الْقُرْآنِ عُرَفَاءُ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ وَ الْمُجْتَهِدُونَ قُوَّادُ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةَ[1] وَ الرُّسُلُ سَادَةُ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةَ.

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘The carriers of the Holy Quran will be the most knowledgeable people of paradise, the assiduously working people will be the leaders in paradise and the messengers will be the masters of the people of paradise.’”