Great Loss for Forgetting a Chapter of the Qur'an

I have discussed the great benefit of memorizing the Qur’ān in a previous blog post (Click here). Now, here are the Authentic aḥaadīth on the punishment for forgetting what you have memorized from the Qur’ān.

عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ جَمِيعاً عَنِ ابْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ ثَعْلَبَةَ بْنِ مَيْمُونٍ عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ الْأَحْمَرِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ قَرَأْتُ الْقُرْآنَ فَفَلَتَ مِنِّي فَادْعُ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنْ يُعَلِّمَنِيهِ قَالَ فَكَأَنَّهُ فَزِعَ لِذَلِكَ فَقَالَ عَلَّمَكَ اللَّهُ هُوَ وَ إِيَّانَا جَمِيعاً قَالَ وَ نَحْنُ نَحْوٌ مِنْ عَشَرَةٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ السُّورَةُ تَكُونُ مَعَ الرَّجُلِ قَدْ قَرَأَهَا ثُمَّ تَرَكَهَا فَتَأْتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِي أَحْسَنِ صُورَةٍ وَ تُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِ فَيَقُولُ مَنْ أَنْتِ فَتَقُولُ أَنَا سُورَةُ كَذَا وَ كَذَا فَلَوْ أَنَّكَ تَمَسَّكْتَ بِي وَ أَخَذْتَ بِي لَأَنْزَلْتُكَ هَذِهِ الدَّرَجَةَ فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِالْقُرْآنِ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ لِيُقَالَ فُلَانٌ قَارِئٌ وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ لِيَطْلُبَ بِهِ الدُّنْيَا وَ لَا خَيْرَ فِي ذَلِكَ وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ لِيَنْتَفِعَ بِهِ فِي صَلَاتِهِ وَ لَيْلِهِ وَ نَهَارِهِ

From Ya`qūb bin al-Aḥmar said, I said to Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام): “May I be your ransom, I have recited the Qur’an, so I said: pray to Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) for me, so I can learn it (again)?” He (the narrator) said: It is as if he was frightened at that (what I said). So he (عليه السلام) said: ”May Allāh teach you and us all (the Qur’ān)” He (عليه السلام) said: ‘And we are about ten people (in the gathering)’ then he (عليه السلام) said: “If there is a Surah with a man and he recited it, then it he has left it (i.e. forgotten it), it will come to him on the Day of Judgment in a beautiful form, and say salām upon him, so he will say: ‘Who are you?’ So it will say: ‘I am the so and so chapter, and if you would have held on to me and taken from. I would have taken you with me to this station (darajah).' He (عليه السلام) said: 'so can act upon the Qur’ān.’ Then he (عليه السلام) said: “Verily, from the people there is a those who recites the Qur’ān, and it is said that: ‘O so and so is a reciter’, and from them are those who recite the Qur’ān and seek the world with it, and there is not good in these, from them there are those who recite the Qur’ān and benefits from it in his prayers, his nights, and his days”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 2, pg. 607, hadeeth # 1

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Muwaththaq (Reliable)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 12, pg. 490

ابْنُ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ الْأَحْمَرِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع إِنَّ عَلَيَّ دَيْناً كَثِيراً وَ قَدْ دَخَلَنِي مَا كَانَ الْقُرْآنُ يَتَفَلَّتُ مِنِّي فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع الْقُرْآنَ الْقُرْآنَ إِنَّ الْآيَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ وَ السُّورَةَ لَتَجِي‏ءُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ حَتَّى تَصْعَدَ أَلْفَ دَرَجَةٍ يَعْنِي فِي الْجَنَّةِ فَتَقُولُ لَوْ حَفِظْتَنِي لَبَلَغْتُ بِكَ هَاهُنَا

From Ya`qūb al-Aḥmar said, I said to Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام): “Verily, upon me there is many worries that have entered me, and the Qur’ān has escaped from me.” So Abū `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام) said: “The Qur’ān! The Qur’ān! The ayah from the Qur’ān and surah will come on the Day of Judgment in order to raise you 1000 stations (darajah), meaning in jannah” So it will say: “If you would have memorized (preserved) me, you would reach (attain) these (ranks)”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 2, pg. 608, hadeeth # 3

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Hasan or Muwaththaq (Good or Reliable)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 12, pg. 491

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْمَغْرَاءِ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَنْ نَسِيَ سُورَةً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مُثِّلَتْ لَهُ فِي صُورَةٍ حَسَنَةٍ وَ دَرَجَةٍ رَفِيعَةٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ فَإِذَا رَآهَا قَالَ مَا أَنْتِ مَا أَحْسَنَكِ لَيْتَكِ لِي فَيَقُولُ أَ مَا تَعْرِفُنِي أَنَا سُورَةُ كَذَا وَ كَذَا وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَنْسَنِي رَفَعْتُكَ إِلَى هَذَا

From Abī Basīr said, Abū `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام) said: “Whoever forget a Surah from the Qur’ān, it will appear to him in a beautiful image and high rank in jannah. And when he sees it, he will say: ‘How beautiful you are! I (wish) you were with me.’ So it will say: “You do not recognize me? I am the such and such surah, and if you would not have forgotten me, you would raise to this (station)”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 2, pg. 607-608, hadeeth # 2

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Hasan (Good)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 12, pg. 491

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ وَ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ جَمِيعاً عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنْ يَحْيَى الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ الْأَحْمَرِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّهُ أَصَابَتْنِي هُمُومٌ وَ أَشْيَاءُ لَمْ يَبْقَ شَيْ‏ءٌ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ إِلَّا وَ قَدْ تَفَلَّتَ مِنِّي مِنْهُ طَائِفَةٌ حَتَّى الْقُرْآنِ لَقَدْ تَفَلَّتَ مِنِّي طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُ قَالَ فَفَزِعَ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ حِينَ ذَكَرْتُ الْقُرْآنَ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَنْسَى السُّورَةَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَتَأْتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ حَتَّى تُشْرِفَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ دَرَجَةٍ مِنْ بَعْضِ الدَّرَجَاتِ فَتَقُولُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ فَيَقُولُ وَ عَلَيْكِ السَّلَامُ مَنْ أَنْتِ فَتَقُولُ أَنَا سُورَةُ كَذَا وَ كَذَا ضَيَّعْتَنِي وَ تَرَكْتَنِي أَمَا لَوْ تَمَسَّكْتَ بِي بَلَغْتُ بِكَ هَذِهِ الدَّرَجَةَ ثُمَّ أَشَارَ بِإِصْبَعِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْقُرْآنِ فَتَعَلَّمُوهُ فَإِنَّ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَتَعَلَّمُ الْقُرْآنَ لِيُقَالَ فُلَانٌ قَارِئٌ وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَتَعَلَّمُهُ فَيَطْلُبُ بِهِ الصَّوْتَ فَيُقَالُ فُلَانٌ حَسَنُ الصَّوْتِ وَ لَيْسَ فِي ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَتَعَلَّمُهُ فَيَقُومُ بِهِ فِي لَيْلِهِ وَ نَهَارِهِ لَا يُبَالِي مَنْ عَلِمَ ذَلِكَ وَ مَنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْهُ

From Ya`qūb al-Aḥmar said, I said to Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام): “May I be your random, I am afflicted with worries and things have not remained from the good (with me), even it has left me wandering, until the Qur’ān had left me. He (the narrator) said: “So he frightened from that when I mentioned the Qur’ān, then he (عليه السلام) said: “If a man forgets a surah from the Qur’ān, it will come to him on the Day of Judgment, in order to honour him from ranks from some of the ranks, so it will say: ‘al-Salaaamu `Alayka’, and (he will say) ‘Wa `alayka al-Salaam, who are you?’. It will say: ‘I am such and such surah you lost me and abandoned me. And if you would have clung to me, I would make you reach this rank, then it pointed his finger. Then he (عليه السلام) said: ‘With you is the Qur’ān, learn it! For verily from the mean are those who learn the Qur’ān and it is said to them ‘O so and so recite’, and from them are those who learn it to seek a voice, so it will be said: ‘So and so had a beautiful voice’, and there is nothing good from that, from those who learn it, establish with it in night and the day and do not take heed if people know that, or if people do not know it”

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 2, pg. 608-609, hadeeth # 6

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic)
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 12, pg. 492