Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 214
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الأَشْعَرِيِّ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ " مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الأُتْرُجَّةِ طَعْمُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَرِيحُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَمَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي لاَ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ التَّمْرَةِ طَعْمُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَلاَ رِيحَ لَهَا وَمَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الرَّيْحَانَةِ رِيحُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَطَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ وَمَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ الَّذِي لاَ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الْحَنْظَلَةِ طَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ وَلاَ رِيحَ لَهَا " .
Muhammad ibn Bashshar and Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna reported to us; they said: Yahya ibn Said reported to us, from Shu‘bah, from Qatadah, from Anas ibn Malik, from Abu Musa al-Ashari, from the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), who said, ‘The believer who recites the Quran is like a citron: its taste is good and its fragrance is good. The believer who does not recite the Quran is like a date: its taste is good but it has no fragrance. The hypocrite who recites the Quran is like sweet basil: its fragrance is good but its taste is bitter. The hypocrite who does not recite the Quran is like a colocynth: its taste is bitter and it has no fragrance.’
Translation notes
The Arabic compares taste and fragrance across four categories; the fruit and herb names follow the source terminology.