Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The example of one who has been given faith but not the Qur’an is like a date, whose taste is delicious but it has no fragrance. And the example of one who has been given the Qur’an but not faith is like basil, whose fragrance is good but its taste is bitter. And the example of one who has been given both the Qur’an and faith is like an orange, whose taste is delicious and its fragrance is excellent. And the example of one who has been given neither the Qur’an nor faith is like colocynth, whose smell is foul and its taste is also bad.
Hadith Referenceسنن دارمي / من كتاب فضائل القرآن / 3396
Hadith Takhrijاس اثر کی سند صحیح ہے۔ دیکھئے: [فضائل القرآن لابي عبيد، ص: 387]
Brief Explanation
(Commentary on Hadiths 3392 to 3396)
From these hadiths and narrations, it is understood that there are two types of believers (mu’min) and hypocrites (munafiq): one is the believer who recites the Qur’an and the other is the believer who does not recite the Qur’an; similarly, one is the hypocrite who recites the Qur’an and the other is the hypocrite who does not recite the Qur’an. The believer who recites the Qur’an is like an orange, and the one who does not recite it is like a date; and the hypocrite who recites the Qur’an is like basil, and the one who does not recite it is like colocynth.
May Allah Ta’ala make us among those who have faith (iman) and the Qur’an, ameen.