In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Abu Salamah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Whenever Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, sat with Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, he may say to him, ‘O Abu Musa! Give reminder’. He recited”. [1]

Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Whoever is able to learn something from the Qur’an, then let him do so. Indeed, the houses that are deprived of good the most are the ones where there is no recitation of Allah’s Book, because the houses in which there is no recitation is like the demolished houses without inhabitants. Indeed shaytan exits a house in which Surah Al Baqarah is heard”. [2]

He also said: “The hearts are receptacles so busy filling them with the Qur’an and do not busy them with other than it.” [3]

Ibn Abba, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said: “It would be more beloved to me to recite Surah Al-Baqarah during the night than recite the (entire) Qur’an haphazardly”. [4]

Ubayd Bin Ja’d, may Allah have mercy upon him, reported from a man from who said: I heard the people in the towns saying that Salaman Al-Farisi, may Allah be pleased with him, is in the Masjid, so they approached him until about a thousand people gathered. He stood up and said, “Sit down, sit down”. When they sat down, he started reciting Surah Yusuf, then the people began moving away and departing until about a hundred were left. He became angry and said, “So you wanted adorned speech, but then I recited to you the book of Allah and you left!” [5]

Masruq, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: A man from the people of Makkah said to me: “This is the place where your brother Tameem Ad-Daaree, may Allah be pleased with him, used to stand. Indeed, one night I saw him until in the morning or nearly morning time, while he was crying and reciting:

أَمۡ حَسِبَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعۡمَلُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ أَن يَسۡبِقُونَا‌ۚ سَآءَ مَا يَحۡكُمُونَ

Or does those who do evil deeds think that they can outstrip Us (i.e. escape Our Punishment)? Evil is that which they judge! [Al-Ankabut. 4] [6]

Muqatil Bin Hayyan, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “I once prayed behind Umar Bin Abdil Azeez, may Allah have mercy upon him, so he read [وَقِفُوهُمۡ‌ۖ إِنَّہُم مَّسۡـُٔولُونَ- But stop them (i.e. when the wrong doers will be held to account on the day of judgement), verily they are to be questioned] [As-Saffat. 24]. He kept on repeating it and was not able to go past it (i.e. due to the severity of what the verse meant). [7]

Maymun Bin Mihran, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Once Umar Bin Abdul Azeez, may Allah have mercy upon him, cried after reciting the verse: [أَلۡهَٮٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ-The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you]. Then he recited [حَتَّىٰ زُرۡتُمُ ٱلۡمَقَابِرَ  – until you visit the graves (i.e. till you die)]. Then he said, ‘I will not see the graves except as a visitor and the one who visits them must either be returned to paradise or hell'”. [8]

Aamir Bin Abdi Qays, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, “I don’t care what escapes me from the worldly things after knowing this verse:

وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ۬ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ رِزۡقُهَا وَيَعۡلَمُ مُسۡتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسۡتَوۡدَعَهَا‌ۚ كُلٌّ۬ فِى ڪِتَـٰبٍ۬ مُّبِينٍ۬

And no (moving) living creature is there on earth but its provision is due from Allah.  And He knows its dwelling place and its deposit (in the uterous, grave, etc.). all is in a Clear Book (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz – the Book of Decrees with Allah). [Surah Hud. Aayah 6]

And the statement of Allah:

مَّا يَفۡتَحِ ٱللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ مِن رَّحۡمَةٍ۬ فَلَا مُمۡسِكَ لَهَاۖ وَمَا يُمۡسِكۡ فَلَا مُرۡسِلَ لَهُ ۥ مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِۚ

Whatever of mercy (i.e.of good), Allah may grant to mankind, none can withhold it, and whatever He may withhold, none can grant it thereafter. [Fatir. 2] [9]

Malik Bin Deenaar, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “When the Qur’an is recited to the truthful people, their hearts become enraptured by the Afterlife”. [10]

Ibn Wahb, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:  “It was said to the sister of Malik Bin Deenaar: ‘What did Malik use to busy himself with in the house?’ She replied, ‘With the Mushaf and recitation'”. [11]

[1] Siyar A’lam An-Nubulaa 1/280

[2] Hilyah Al-Awliyaa (Tahdhib). 1/119

[3] Az-Zuhd 298. By Imam Ahmad

[4] Sifah As-Safwah Safwa 1/372

[5] Hilyah Al-Awliyaa (Tahdhib) 1/163

[6] Mawsu’ah 1/256-257 by Ibn Abee Dunya

[7] Mawsu’ah 3/255

[8] Mawsu’ah 3/255

[9] Mawsu’ah 1/279

[10] Sifah As-Safwah. 3/204

[11] Siyar A’lam An-Nubulaa 2/736