View source for Verses forgotten turning into snakes (hadith)

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There is a narration that those who memorize the Qur'an but later forget it and do not revise it, the verses will turn into snakes on the Day of Judgment and seize them. Is this authentic?  
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'''Verses forgotten turning into snakes''' is the content of a narration according to which, on the Day of Judgment, the verses a person memorized and then forgot will turn into snakes and be hung around their neck. Some believe that the forgetfulness mentioned in this narration does not refer to memory weakness, and such individuals will not be held accountable. From their perspective, the forgetfulness here refers to negligence, such as ignoring the meanings of the verses and not acting upon their instructions. Other narrations support this interpretation.

== The Importance of Memorizing the Qur'an ==  
Memorizing Qur'anic verses is a matter highly encouraged in the narrations. The Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said that if God grants someone the ability to memorize the Qur'an, and that person believes someone else has been given something better than what he has received, he has belittled the greatest gift.<ref>Mohammadi Reyshahri, Mohammad, Mizan al-Hikmah, Qom, Maktab al-I'lam al-Islami, 1997, Vol. 8, p. 76.</ref>

There are also narrations emphasizing the importance of repetition and practice of memorized verses to retain them in memory.<ref>Hurr al-ʿĀmilī, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, edited by Abdulrahim al-Rabbani al-Shirazi, Beirut, Dar Ihya' al-Turath al-ʿArabi, 1391 AH, Vol. 4, pp. 845–847.</ref> In some narrations, memorizing the Qur'an is considered valuable only when it leads to acting upon its instructions and guidance. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said:  
{{Arabic Text|الْحافِظُ لِلْقُرْءانِ الْعامِلُ بِهِ مَعَ السَّفَرَةِ الْكِرامِ الْبَرَرَةِ<ref>al-Kulaynī, Muhammad ibn Ya‘qūb, al-Kāfī, Tehran, Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah, 4th edition, 1407 AH, Vol. 2, p. 603, Chapter: The Merit of the Carrier of the Qur'an, Hadith 2.</ref>  
|Translation=He who memorizes the Qur'an and acts upon it will be with the noble and righteous angels.}}

== Text and Meaning of the Hadith ==  
[[Shaykh al-Saduq]] narrates from Imam Ali (AS), who quotes the Prophet (PBUH):

{{Large Arabic|مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ ثُمَّ نَسِيَهُ لَقِيَ اللَّهَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَغْلُولًا يُسَلِّطُ اللَّهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ بِكُلِّ آيَةٍ مِنْهُ حَيَّةً تَكُونُ قَرِينَتَهُ إِلَى النَّارِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَه<ref>al-Saduq, Muhammad ibn Ali, Man La Yahḍuruhu al-Faqīh, edited by Ali Akbar al-Ghaffari, Qom, Mu'assasat al-Nashr al-Islami, 1413 AH, Vol. 4, p. 12.</ref>  
|Translation=Whoever learns the Qur'an and then forgets it, will meet God on the Day of Judgment chained, and for every verse forgotten, God Almighty will assign a snake that will accompany him to the Fire—unless God forgives him.}}

The content of this hadith has also been reported in other narrations from the Prophet (PBUH), though with some variations.<ref>al-Saduq, Muhammad ibn Ali, Thawāb al-A‘māl wa ‘Iqāb al-A‘māl, Qom, Dar al-Sharif al-Radi, 1406 AH, pp. 280–295.</ref>

At the beginning of the hadith, the phrase {{Arabic|وَ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ}} appears. The word *ta‘allama* means "to learn," not specifically "to memorize." Thus, this narration has not been interpreted as limited to memorization. According to this hadith, God will assign a snake *for each verse*, not that the verses themselves will turn into snakes. This is understood from the preposition *bi* in the phrase *bi-kulli āyah*, which implies reciprocity or equivalence—not transformation.<ref>al-Saduq, Muhammad ibn Ali, Thawāb al-A‘māl wa ‘Iqāb al-A‘māl, translated by Ali Akbar Ghaffari, Tehran, Ketabforoushi-ye Saduq, 1984, p. 646, translator’s footnote on p. 12.</ref>

== Meaning of the Hadith: Neglect and Failure to Act ==  
Researchers believe the threat mentioned in the narration applies to those who deliberately and negligently ignore the Qur'anic verses, particularly those who fail to act upon them. From this perspective, the narration does not apply to those who forget due to memory weakness. As evidence, in some versions of the narration, the phrase *muta‘ammidan* (deliberately) is added after *nasiyah* (he forgot).<ref>al-Saduq, Muhammad ibn Ali, al-Amālī, n.p., Mu’assasat al-Ba‘thah, n.d., p. 513.</ref>

It is also narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (AS) regarding a man who read (learned) the Qur'an and then forgot it three times. The Imam did not assign punishment to such a person.<ref name=":0" /> Some scholars believe that based on this narration, such a person is not sinful and will not be punished, though he has lost a great reward.<ref name=":0">Mazandarani, Muhammad Salih, Sharh al-Usul al-Kafi, with commentary by Abu al-Hasan al-Shi‘rani, edited by Ali Ashour, Beirut, Mu’assasat al-Tarikh al-‘Arabi, 1429 AH, Vol. 11, p. 34.</ref>
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