The Prophet ﷺ likened such people to the basil plant: its fragrance is pleasant—because of the portion of Quran they possess—yet its taste is bitter, reflecting the evil concealed in their hearts and the corruption of their intentions.

As for the hypocrite who does not recite the Quran, the Prophet ﷺ compared him to the colocynth: its taste is bitter and it has no fragrance at all. This sort of hypocrite contains no good whatsoever—his taste is bitter, and he carries no share of the Quran from which others might benefit.

These, then, are the categories of people in relation to the Book of Allah. Therefore, my Muslim brother, strive to be among the believers who recite the Quran and give it its due recitation, so that you may resemble the citron whose aroma is pleasant and whose taste is sweet. Allah is the One who grants success.

996 – ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah elevates by this Book certain people and brings low others.” Narrated by Muslim.

[Explanation]
The author—may Allah have mercy on him—states in his Riyad al-Salihin, in the chapter on the virtue of reciting the Quran, that he transmitted from the Commander of the Believers ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) the hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah elevates by this Book certain people….”