Is there a Reward for Reading Hadeeth? – Imam Ibn Baaz_ Fatwa

From Shaykh, Allaama, Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abdul Azeez bin Abdullaah Bin Baz
by Umm Yahya 

The Noble Shaykh Bin Baz -Rahimullaah- was asked:

‘The reward for reciting the Book of Allaah is evident. Is there a reward for reading Hadeeth too?’

The Shaykh replied:

‘There is a great reward for reading the Noble Qur’an in terms of coming closer to Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, as is reading and memorizing the Hadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam. And this is because it is worship of Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala (in pursuit of) acquiring knowledge and a greater understanding of the religion.

Evidence in the Shariah indicates that seeking knowledge and gaining an understanding of the religion is obligatory in order for the slave to worship His Lord upon firm knowledge (Baseerah)

An example of this evidence is the saying of the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam:

‘Whoever Allaah wills good for He grants them the understanding of the Deen (religion)’

And he said:

‘The best of you are those who learn the Qur’aan and teach it’

And the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said:

‘Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge on that path, then Allaah makes the path to paradise easy for him due to his seeking knowledge, and no group of people gather in one of the houses of Allah reciting the Book of Allaah and studying it, except tranquility descends and they are covered with Mercy and the angels surround them and Allaah mentions them to those who are close to Him’

And there are many Hadeeth regarding the virtues of reciting the Qur’aan such as the saying of the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam:

‘Recite the Qur’aan for verily it will come as an intercession for the one who recites it on the Day of Resurrection’

Collected by Muslim

And one day the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam came out and said:

‘Who would like to go to Bathaan (a valley in Medina) or to al-Aqeeq (a valley in Makkah) and return with two great female camels, without sinning and without severing the ties of kinship?’

So we said:

‘O Messenger of Allaah we would love that’

He -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- said:

‘If one of you went to the masjid and learnt or read two Ayaat from the Book of Allah Azza wa Jal  (that) is better for him than two female camels and three Ayaat are better than four female camels and in addition to that the same amount in male camels’

As is collected by Imam Muslim in ‘Saheeh Muslim’ and this is an evidence concerning the virtue of reciting the Qur’aan and teaching it.

There is (another) famous Hadeeth from Ibn Mas’ood which is collected in ‘Jamia Tirmidhi’ with a Hassan (good) chain of narrators that the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- said:

‘Whoever reads one letter from the Book of Allaah he gets one reward for it and one reward is equivalent to ten times the reward of it.’

And it is the same for reading the Sunnah, if a believer learns it by reading theAhadeeth and studying them and memorizing them, distinguishing the authentic from the non authentic, then he will receive a great reward. This is because this is considered acquiring knowledge, concerning which the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- said:

‘Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge on that path, then Allaah makes the path to paradise easy for him due to his seeking knowledge, and no group of people gather in one of the houses of Allaah reciting the Book of Allaah and studying it, except tranquility descends and they are covered with Mercy and the angels surround them and Allaah mentions them to those who are close to Him’

This is proof of reading the Ayaat and reflecting upon them, studying Hadeeth and memorizing them, desiring knowledge and (desiring) an understanding of the religion and acting upon it (consequently) is from (one of the reasons) for entering paradise and being saved from the hell-fire. As the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- said:

‘Whoever Allah wills good for He grants them the understanding of the Deen (religion)’

There is a consensus with regard to its authenticity and it clarifies the virtue of knowledge and seeking it, and that is a sign of goodness as we clarified earlier. And the understanding of the Deen is attained through the Book (The Qur’aan) and through the Sunnah (Hadeeth) therefore (attaining the) understanding the Sunnah is a sign that Allah has intended goodness for His slave, there is a lot of evidence to substantiate (this point).

All Praise is for Allah Lord of the worlds