❖ Question:
Is the following narration authentic? And where is it found?
“One who recites the Qur'an to earn food from people will come on the Day of Judgment with no flesh on his face. There are three types of Qur'an reciters:
➊ One who recites it and only cares about its letters, neglecting its limits—such people are many; may they not increase.
➋ One who recites it and turns it into a business to attract rulers or gain people's attention.
➌ One who recites the Qur’an, takes it as a healing for his heart, prays with it at night, fasts by day, and resides in the mosques with it—because of such people, Allah removes calamities, wards off enemies, and sends rain from the skies. These reciters are more precious to Allah than red sulfur.”
❖ Answer:
Alhamdulillah, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā baʿd:
This narration is weak (ḍaʿīf) and even fabricated (mawḍūʿ). It is not authentically attributed to the Prophet ﷺ.
◈ Imam Ibn Ḥibbān mentioned this narration in al-Ḍuʿafāʾ wal-Matrūkīn (1/148).
◈ Imam al-Bayhaqī cited it in Kitāb al-Īmān.
◈ Imam al-Suyūṭī included it in al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr (Hadith 5763).
◈ Imam Ibn al-Jawzī listed it in al-Aḥādīth al-Wāhiyah (1/148), commenting:
“This is not established from the Prophet ﷺ; rather, it is a saying of al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (رحمه الله).”
◈ Imam al-Albānī (رحمه الله) classified it as fabricated (mawḍūʿ) in Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ and explained its defects in al-Silsilah al-Ḍaʿīfah (Hadith 1356).
One of the narrators in its chain, Aḥmad ibn Muqayyim ibn Naʿīm, was known for reporting denounced (munkar) and confused (maqlūb) narrations. Hence, his narrations are unreliable.
Moreover, Shaykh Zakariyyā Kandhlawi mentioned this narration in Faḍāʾil al-Aʿmāl (1/106), although it is not authentic.
Yes. While the above narration itself is weak/fabricated, the core meaning regarding the condemnation of using the Qur'an for worldly gains is found in authentic narrations.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever recites the Qur'an seeking worldly gain will come on the Day of Judgment with no flesh on his face."
→ (Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 252 — classified as weak by some, but supported by other authentic narrations)
The Prophet ﷺ also said:
"The best among you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it."
→ (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Hadith 5027)
◈ The narration in question is weak and even fabricated and not proven from the Prophet ﷺ.
◈ It is impermissible to narrate it without clarifying its weakness.
◈ Reciting and learning the Qur'an with sincerity and for Allah’s pleasure is a noble and praiseworthy act.
◈ Using the Qur'an for worldly benefits is condemned, as established in authentic Hadiths.
(References: al-Ḍuʿafāʾ li Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Aḥādīth al-Wāhiyah li Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Silsilah al-Ḍaʿīfah, Sunan Ibn Mājah, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
Is the following narration authentic? And where is it found?
“One who recites the Qur'an to earn food from people will come on the Day of Judgment with no flesh on his face. There are three types of Qur'an reciters:
➊ One who recites it and only cares about its letters, neglecting its limits—such people are many; may they not increase.
➋ One who recites it and turns it into a business to attract rulers or gain people's attention.
➌ One who recites the Qur’an, takes it as a healing for his heart, prays with it at night, fasts by day, and resides in the mosques with it—because of such people, Allah removes calamities, wards off enemies, and sends rain from the skies. These reciters are more precious to Allah than red sulfur.”
❖ Answer:
Alhamdulillah, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā baʿd:
This narration is weak (ḍaʿīf) and even fabricated (mawḍūʿ). It is not authentically attributed to the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ Sources and Reasons for Weakness:
◈ Imam Ibn Ḥibbān mentioned this narration in al-Ḍuʿafāʾ wal-Matrūkīn (1/148).
◈ Imam al-Bayhaqī cited it in Kitāb al-Īmān.
◈ Imam al-Suyūṭī included it in al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr (Hadith 5763).
◈ Imam Ibn al-Jawzī listed it in al-Aḥādīth al-Wāhiyah (1/148), commenting:
“This is not established from the Prophet ﷺ; rather, it is a saying of al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (رحمه الله).”
◈ Imam al-Albānī (رحمه الله) classified it as fabricated (mawḍūʿ) in Ḍaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ and explained its defects in al-Silsilah al-Ḍaʿīfah (Hadith 1356).
One of the narrators in its chain, Aḥmad ibn Muqayyim ibn Naʿīm, was known for reporting denounced (munkar) and confused (maqlūb) narrations. Hence, his narrations are unreliable.
Moreover, Shaykh Zakariyyā Kandhlawi mentioned this narration in Faḍāʾil al-Aʿmāl (1/106), although it is not authentic.
❖ Is There an Authentic Hadith Conveying a Similar Meaning?
Yes. While the above narration itself is weak/fabricated, the core meaning regarding the condemnation of using the Qur'an for worldly gains is found in authentic narrations.
The Prophet ﷺ said:"Whoever recites the Qur'an seeking worldly gain will come on the Day of Judgment with no flesh on his face."
→ (Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 252 — classified as weak by some, but supported by other authentic narrations)
The Prophet ﷺ also said:"The best among you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it."
→ (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Hadith 5027)
Conclusion:
◈ The narration in question is weak and even fabricated and not proven from the Prophet ﷺ.
◈ It is impermissible to narrate it without clarifying its weakness.
◈ Reciting and learning the Qur'an with sincerity and for Allah’s pleasure is a noble and praiseworthy act.
◈ Using the Qur'an for worldly benefits is condemned, as established in authentic Hadiths.
(References: al-Ḍuʿafāʾ li Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Aḥādīth al-Wāhiyah li Ibn al-Jawzī, al-Silsilah al-Ḍaʿīfah, Sunan Ibn Mājah, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
