Sunan Sa'id

Uqbah bin Sa’eer (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I heard Abu Salih (may Allah have mercy on him) say: “If I were to memorize the Qur’an, and then stand (in prayer) with it for a year, that would be more beloved to me than such-and-such things, because it has reached me that it will be said to the companion of the Qur’an: ‘Recite, ascend, and recite with measured recitation!’ Thus, it is hoped that whoever has gathered the Qur’an will be among the ones brought near (to Allah).”