Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2865
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الأَشْعَرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الأُتْرُجَّةِ رِيحُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَطَعْمُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَمَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي لاَ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ التَّمْرَةِ لاَ رِيحَ لَهَا وَطَعْمُهَا حُلْوٌ وَمَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الرَّيْحَانَةِ رِيحُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَطَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ وَمَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ الَّذِي لاَ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الْحَنْظَلَةِ رِيحُهَا مُرٌّ وَطَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ وَقَدْ رَوَاهُ شُعْبَةُ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ أَيْضًا .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari reported that the Messenger of Allah said, ‘The believer who recites the Qur’an is like a citron: its fragrance is pleasant and its taste is pleasant. The believer who does not recite the Qur’an is like a date: it has no fragrance, but its taste is sweet. The hypocrite who recites the Qur’an is like sweet basil: its fragrance is pleasant, but its taste is bitter. The hypocrite who does not recite the Qur’an is like a colocynth: its fragrance is bitter and its taste is bitter.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Abu ‘Isa graded this hadith hasan sahih. Shu‘bah also transmitted it from Qatadah. The English witness says the colocynth’s smell is ‘better’; the Arabic says it is bitter (murr), matching the bitter taste. The plants are citron (utrujjah), date (tamr), fragrant basil (rayhanah), and colocynth/bitter gourd (hanzalah).