Question

Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatu lilahi wa barakatu

1. What is the reward, in a hadith and in the Coran, for the one who strives to learn the Coran by heart and often reads it to understand its meaning?

2. Though many non-Arab Muslims have been able to memorize the Coran thanks completely to Allah, can a non-Arab Muslim, who can already read well the Coran in Arabic, learn Arabic (the language) in order to improve more his/her understanding of the Coran?

May Allah bless you inshallah

Ma'a salam

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.

 Here are a few hadeeths that show some of the great rewards and honors of striving to memorize and applying the meaning.

Aishah reported that the Prophet   said, “He who recites the Qur’an fluently will be in the company of the noble and virtuous angels, and he who recites the Qur’an haltingly and with difficulty will have a double reward. Bukhari and Muslim. Another hadeeth that we like to remember is: The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it.  [Bukhari].  

Another wonderful hadeeth of the Prophet, graded Saheeh by Sheikh Albani is: "On the Day of Resurrection the Qur'an will petition Allah to cloak the one who was a companion of the Qur’an [recited it often] with garments of honor and respect. A crown of honor will then be placed on the head of the reciter. The Qur'an will then petition Allah to shower His pleasure on the reciter. Allah will then become pleased with him. The reciter will then be asked to recite the Qur'an, thereby attaining higher ranks of elevation. In reward for each aayah, a good deed will be given to him. "[at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah,  ibn Khuzaymah].

The Prophet said, "The example of a believer who recites the Qur'an and acts on it, is like a citron which tastes nice and smells nice. And the example of a believer who does not recite the Qur'an but acts on it, is like a date which tastes good but has no smell. And the example of a hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like a Raihana (sweet basil) which smells good but tastes bitter. And the example of a hypocrite who does not recite the Quran is like a colocynth which tastes bitter and has a bad smell." (Bukhari/Muslim).       

2.  Certainly Muslims should strive to learn the Arabic language so they can understand the Words of Allah, and apply them to their lives.  Muslims who are not Arabs have to work at this, but it is very possible and has happened that many non-Arabs have surpassed many Arabs in the Arabic language.  Imam Al-Bukhari was a non-Arab, Imam Ash-Shatibiyy was a non-Arab, to name a few.  The early generations of Muslims understood the importance of the Arabic language and studied it intensely.  May Allah increase us all in knowledge of the Arabic language.