It is reported from Jubayr ibn Nufayr that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “You will never return to Allah with anything better than what has come from Him.” That is: the Quran. (1)

It is likewise reported from Ibn Masʿūd who said, “Keep the Quran pure; write in it nothing but the words of Allah.”

It is related that ʿUmar said, “This Quran is the speech of Allah, so place it where it belongs.”

A man once said to al-Hasan, “Abū Saʿīd, whenever I recite the Book of Allah and ponder it, I nearly despair (2) and my hope is severed.” He replied, “The Quran is the speech of Allah, whereas the deeds of the son of Adam are marked by weakness and shortcoming. So act, and take heart.”

Farwah ibn Nawfal al-Ashjaʿī said, “I was a neighbour of Khabbāb. One day I went out with him to the mosque while he was holding my hand, and he said, ‘Young man, seek closeness to Allah by whatever means you can, for you will never draw nearer to Him with anything more beloved to Him than His speech.’ (3)”

A man asked al-Hakam, “What has driven the followers of misplaced desires to this?” He answered, “Contentious disputations.”

Muʿāwiyah ibn Qurrah said, “Beware of these disputes, for they wipe out deeds.”