حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَثَلُ الْقُرْآنِ إِذَا عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهِ صَاحِبُهُ فَقَرَأَهُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ لَهُ إِبِلٌ فَإِنْ عَقَلَهَا حَفِظَهَا وَإِنْ أَطْلَقَ عُقُلَهَا ذَهَبَتْ فَكَذَلِكَ صَاحِبُ الْقُرْآنِ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 4923
It was narrated that Ibn 'Umar said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "The likeness of the Qur'an, if a person reads it regularly by night and by day, is that of a man who has a camel, if he hobbles it, he will keep it, but if he releases it, it will disappear. That is how the companion of the Qur'an is."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020