It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said:
He who recites the Quran and acts upon what it contains; on the Day of Judgment his parents will be crowned with the crown (of dignity), whose light is brighter than the light of the sun in the World when it is bright among you: what do you then think of the one who acts upon it? [Abu Dawood]
This hadith clarifies the position and reward of him who recites the Quran and acts upon its laws and principles: his reward, indeed, transcends him to his parents (if they are believers; and if they are not believers, nothing will avail them even in the least).
Why would his parents be crowned with the crown (of dignity) on the Day of Judgment although they neither recited the Quran nor did what their child did? For the reason that they were the cause of the rectitude of their child, by either teaching him the Quran or arranging for him to learn it or by supplicating for him; or by bringing him up on righteousness and feeding him lawfully. The Messenger of Allah said: “If somebody dies, his deed will cease except from three: recurrent charity, advantageous knowledge by which the people benefit after him, and a good righteous child to supplicate (Allaah for a good effect) to him.” [Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab, Muslim, At-Tirmithi, Abu Dawood and An-Nasa’i] The one who died then caused those three things whose reward joins him not only during his life but also after his death. The crown, then, is the reward of the parents of the righteous child who recites the Quran and acts upon its principles and laws. It is they who guided him to good, and the guide to the good is like its doer (in reward). But Allah multiplies the reward for whomever He pleases. Of course, Allah’s multiplication of the reward to the doer of good is not like His multiplication to the one who guides to it. He may multiply the reward for the doer of good, if he is sincere in his intention to Allah, many times more than He does for the one who guides to it.
It is narrated on the authority of An-Nawwas ibn Sam‘an that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “On the Day of Judgment, the Quran, along with those who used to act upon it in the World, will be brought together, headed by both soorahs of Al-Baqarah and Al ‘Imran, defending their reciter.” [Muslim]
This hadith explains the two previous ones. The people of the Quran are the party and selected people of Allah; and the Quran will come as an intercessor for its reciter who used to act upon it in the world, headed by the first two Soorahs of the Quran, Al-Baqarah and Al ‘Imran, to intercede and defend the one who used to recite and act upon them. To be sure, whoever acts upon the rulings of Al-Baqarah and Al ‘Imran will have almost acted upon what is in the entire Quran in view of the great deal of rulings they contain.
Abu Sa‘eed Al-Kharraz said:
The first part of understanding the Book of Allah is to act upon it, because doing so includes knowing, understanding and extracting its meanings; and the first thing to do towards understanding is to listen while being present in mind because Allah Almighty says (what means):
• {Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind].} [Quran 50:37]
• {Who listen to speech and follow the best of it. Those are the ones Allah has guided, and those are people of understanding.} [Quran 39:18]
The whole of the Quran is good and to follow the best refers to the wonders which are disclosed to the hearts when listening with attentiveness to it; and this leads to understanding and extracting its meanings. The first thing to do towards listening with attentiveness to the Quran is to listen to it as if the Messenger of Allah is reciting to you; and then you transcend that to imagine that you are listening to it from Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah exalt his mention, while reciting it to the Prophet because Allah Almighty says (what means): {And indeed, the Quran is the revelation of the Lord of the worlds. The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down upon your heart, [O Muhammad] – that you may be of the warners.} [Quran 26:192-194] Then you may transcend further to imagine that you are hearing it from Allah Almighty.
It is narrated on the authority of ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said:
O holders of knowledge! Act upon your knowledge because a true scholar is he who acts upon what he knows while his knowledge agrees with his deeds. There will appear a people who will carry knowledge but it will not go beyond their collar-bones: their deeds will contradict their knowledge, and what is in their hearts opposes what they show. They will sit with the people and vie in glory with each other, so much so, that a man will grow angry with his companion because he sits with someone other than him. As for those, the deeds they do in their gatherings will not rise to Allah Almighty. [Ad-Darimi]