Hadith: The example of a believer who recites the Qur'an is like that of a citron; it smells and tastes good. And the example of a believer who does not recite the Qur'an is like that of a date; it has no smell and tastes good

عَن أَبي مُوْسى الأَشْعريِّ رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسولُ اللهِ صلى اللهُ عليه وسلم:
«مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الْأُتْرُجَّةِ، رِيحُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَطَعْمُهَا طَيِّبٌ، وَمَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي لَا يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ التَّمْرَةِ، لَا رِيحَ لَهَا وَطَعْمُهَا حُلْوٌ، وَمَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ الَّذِي يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ مَثَلُ الرَّيْحَانَةِ، رِيحُهَا طَيِّبٌ وَطَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ، وَمَثَلُ الْمُنَافِقِ الَّذِي لَا يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ كَمَثَلِ الْحَنْظَلَةِ، لَيْسَ لَهَا رِيحٌ وَطَعْمُهَا مُرٌّ».
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه] - [صحيح البخاري: 5427]

Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"The example of a believer who recites the Qur'an is like that of a citron; it smells and tastes good. And the example of a believer who does not recite the Qur'an is like that of a date; it has no smell and tastes good. And the example of a hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like that of a basil; it smells good but tastes bitter. And the example of a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an is like that of a colocynth; it has no smell and tastes bitter."
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim] - [Sahih Bukhari - 5427]

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified the types of people in terms of reciting the Qur’an and benefiting therefrom:
First category: The believer who recites the Qur’an and benefits from it is like the citron fruit, good in taste, smell, and color, and has many benefits since he acts upon what he recites and is useful to people.
Second category: The believer who does not recite the Qur’an is like a date that tastes good but has no smell. His heart contains faith just like the date contains sweetness in its taste and its inside. It has no smell that could be smelt by people since no recitation could be heard from him to give people comfort.
Third category: The hypocrite who recites the Qur’an is like a basil that smells good but tastes bitter, as he did not reform his heart with faith or act upon the Qur’an but he shows up as a believer before people. So, its good smell resembles his recitation and its bitter taste resembles his disbelief.
Fourth category: The hypocrite who does not recite the Qur’an is like a colocynth that has no smell and has a bitter taste. Not having a scent is like him not having a smell for not reciting the Qur’an, and its bitter taste is like the bitterness of his disbelief. His inside is void of faith, and his outside is useless; rather, it is harmful.