whoever takes half of the Qur’an and puts it into practice has taken half of prophethood, and whoever takes the whole of the Qur’an has taken prophethood in its entirety.
He said:
Muhammad ibn Yaḥyā al-Marwazī narrated to us, saying: Muhammad—namely Ibn Saʿdān—reported to us; al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, from Ḥafṣ, from Kathīr ibn Ziyād, from ʿĀṣim ibn Ḍamrah, from ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (may blessings and peace be upon him) said:
“Whoever recites the Qur’an, follows it, and memorises it, Allah will admit him into Paradise and allow him to intercede for ten members of his household, all of whom had been destined for the Fire.”
Umm al-Dardāʾ said: I went in to ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and asked, “What superiority does one who recites the Qur’an have over one who does not, among those who have entered Paradise?” ʿĀʾishah replied, “If the number of the Qur’an’s verses equals the number of the degrees of Paradise, then no one who enters Paradise is superior to the one who recited the Qur’an.” This was cited by Abū Muḥammad Makkī.
Ibn ʿAbbās said: Whoever recites the Qur’an and follows what it contains, Allah guides him away from error and shields him from a harsh reckoning on the Day of Resurrection, for Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says, “Whoever follows My guidance shall never go astray, nor suffer” [1].
Ibn ʿAbbās added: Allah has thus guaranteed that whoever follows the Qur’an will not go astray in this world, nor be wretched in the Hereafter—Makkī mentioned this as well.
Al-Layth said: It is said that mercy reaches no one faster than it reaches the listener to the Qur’an, because of Allah’s words, “When the Qur’an is recited, listen to it attentively and be silent so that you may receive mercy” [2]; and when Allah says, “so that you may,” it is a promise that is certain.
In the Musnad of Abū Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī—the first Musnad compiled in Islam—there is the report of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr, from the Messenger of Allah (may blessings and peace be upon him):
“Whoever stands (in prayer) with ten verses will not be recorded among the heedless; whoever stands with one hundred verses will be recorded among the devout; and whoever stands with one thousand verses will be recorded among those endowed with great treasure.”
Reports on this topic are numerous; what we have cited is sufficient, and Allah is the One who grants success to right guidance.
[1] Qur’an 20:123.
[2] Qur’an 7:204.