Does the Quran Curse Someone Who Recites It?

Praise be to Allah.

Degree of the hadith: “There may be someone who recites the Quran but the Quran curses him”

We do not know of any sound narration from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) of the hadith mentioned.

Al-Ghazali attributes it to Anas ibn Malik, as he says: Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: There may be someone who recites the Quran but the Quran curses him.” “Ihya ‘Ulum ad-Din, 1/274)

In Fatawa al-Lajnah ad-Daimah – 2 (3/213) – it says: 

“This is a report that was narrated from Maymun ibn Mahran; it is not a hadith from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).

What it means is that the Muslim who recites or reads the Quran should beware of not acting in accordance with it, for among the slaves of Allah there are those who come across what the Quran forbids, such as the prohibition on riba, then they deal with riba, or the prohibition on wronging others, then they wrong others, or the prohibition on backbiting, then they fall into backbiting, and so on with other commands and prohibitions of the Quran. And Allah is the source of strength. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about this hadith – “There may be someone who recites the Quran but the Quran curses him” – how could the Quran curse the one who recites or reads it, and why?

He (may Allah have mercy on him) replied: I do not think the hadith is soundly narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and there is no need to explain it. If it were sound, the meaning would be that in the Quran there is that which implies that such a person is to be condemned and cursed, because he reads the Quran but goes against its commands, or commits the things that it prohibits. He reads the Book of Allah, and in the Book of Allah there is that which dictates that he and his ilk should be reviled, because they go against the commands and commit the things that it prohibits.

This is the closest to its meaning, if it is soundly narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), but I do not think that it is soundly narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).” (Majmu‘ Fatawa Ibn Baz, 26/61)

For more on the issue of cursing, please see these answers: 335855 , 36674 , 10915 , and 296855 .

And Allah knows best.