Sunan ad-Darimi

Abdullah bin Buraidah narrated from his father, who said: I was sitting with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and I heard him say: “Learn Surah Al-Baqarah, acquiring it (i.e., reciting it) is a source of blessing and abandoning it is a cause of regret, and magicians cannot confront it.” Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) remained silent for a while and then said: “Acquire the knowledge of Surah Al-Baqarah and Aal-e-Imran, for these two surahs are radiant and on the Day of Resurrection they will shade their reciter like two clouds, or like two canopies, or like two flocks of birds in flight. These two surahs will come as advocates (defenders) for their reciters. And on the Day of Resurrection, the Holy Qur’an will come to its reciter when he rises from his grave, in the form of a weary person (whose color has changed due to illness and travel), and the Qur’an will say to him: Do you recognize me? He will reply: No. The Qur’an will say: I am the Qur’an, your companion who kept you thirsty in the heat of midday (i.e., you recited me even when thirsty), and kept you awake at night, while every tradesman was busy with his trade, but today you are behind every kind of trade. Then sovereignty will be given to him in his right hand and eternal life in his left, and a crown of dignity will be placed on his head, and his parents will be dressed in two garments that are priceless by worldly standards. Both parents will say: Why have these garments been given to us? They will be told: Because of your son’s memorization of the Qur’an. Then it will be said to him (the memorizer of the Qur’an): Keep reciting the Qur’an and keep ascending the steps and chambers of Paradise, and as long as he recites, whether in hasty or measured recitation, he will continue to ascend.”