Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
nasai-kubra:7989 – Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Yaʿqūb > Mūsá b. ʿUqbah > Nāfiʿ > Ibn ʿUmar

[Machine] "That the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Verily the example of the Qur'an is like that of a tied camel. If its owner takes care of it, it remains with him, and if he neglects it, it goes away. Similarly, when a person establishes a relationship with the Qur'an and recites it day and night, he remembers it, but when he does not recite it, he forgets it.'"  

الكبرى للنسائي:٧٩٨٩ – أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ «إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْقُرْآنِ كَمَثَلِ الْإِبِلِ الْمُعَقَّلَةِ إِذَا عَاهَدَهَا صَاحِبُهَا عَلَى عُقُلِهَا أَمْسَكَهَا وَإِذَا أَغْفَلَهَا ذَهَبَتْ إِذَا قَامَ صَاحِبُ الْقُرْآنِ فَقَرَأَهُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ ذَكَرَهُ وَإِذَا لَمْ يَقْرَأْهُ نَسِيَهُ»  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, Mālik, Aḥmad, Suyūṭī
nasai:942 – Qutaybah > Mālik > Nāfiʿ > Ibn ʿUmar

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The one who learns the Quran is like the owner of a hobbled camel. If he pays attention to it, he will keep it, but if he releases it, it will go away."  

النسائي:٩٤٢ – أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَثَلُ صَاحِبِ الْقُرْآنِ كَمَثَلِ صَاحِبِ الإِبِلِ الْمُعَقَّلَةِ إِذَا عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهَا أَمْسَكَهَا وَإِنْ أَطْلَقَهَا ذَهَبَتْ  

ibnmajah:3783 – Aḥmad b. al-Azhar > ʿAbd al-Razzāq > Maʿmar > Ayyūb > Nāfiʿ > Ibn ʿUmar

"The likeness of the Quran is that of a hobbled camel. If its owner ties its rope, he will keep it, but if he loosens its rope it will go away."  

ابن ماجة:٣٧٨٣ – حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الأَزْهَرِ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَنْبَأَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَثَلُ الْقُرْآنِ مَثَلُ الإِبِلِ الْمُعَقَّلَةِ إِنْ تَعَاهَدَهَا صَاحِبُهَا بِعُقُلِهَا أَمْسَكَهَا عَلَيْهِ وَإِنْ أَطْلَقَ عُقُلَهَا ذَهَبَتْ  

malik:15-7 – Mālik > Nāfiʿ > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A man who knows the Qur'an well is like a man who has a hobbled camel. If he takes care of it, he keeps it, and if he lets it go, it gets away."  

مالك:١٥-٧ – وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ صَاحِبِ الْقُرْآنِ كَمَثَلِ صَاحِبِ الإِبِلِ الْمُعَقَّلَةِ إِنْ عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهَا أَمْسَكَهَا وَإِنْ أَطْلَقَهَا ذَهَبَتْ  

ahmad:4845 – Muḥammad b. ʿUbayd > ʿUbaydullāh > Nāfiʿ > Ibn ʿUmar

"The likeness of the Quran is that of a hobbled camel. If its owner ties its rope, he will keep it, but if he loosens its rope it will go away." (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 3783)  

أحمد:٤٨٤٥ – حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللهِ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْقُرْآنِ مَثَلُ الْإِبِلِ الْمُعَقَّلَةِ إِنْ تَعَاهَدَهَا صَاحِبُهَا بِعُقُلِهَا أَمْسَكَهَا عَلَيْهِ وَإِنْ أَطْلَقَ عُقُلَهَا ذَهَبَتْ  

ahmad:4923 – ʿAbd al-Razzāq > Maʿmar > Ayyūb > Nāfiʿ > Ibn ʿUmar

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The likeness of the Quran, when its companion takes an oath to fulfill its rights and recites it day and night, is like a man who possesses camels. If he takes care of them, he will keep them, but if he neglects them, he will lose them. Similarly, is the case with the companion of the Quran."  

أحمد:٤٩٢٣ – حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَثَلُ الْقُرْآنِ إِذَا عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهِ صَاحِبُهُ فَقَرَأَهُ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ لَهُ إِبِلٌ فَإِنْ عَقَلَهَا حَفِظَهَا وَإِنْ أَطْلَقَ عُقُلَهَا ذَهَبَتْ فَكَذَلِكَ صَاحِبُ الْقُرْآنِ  

suyuti:19902a –
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السيوطي:١٩٩٠٢a –

"مثَلُ الْقُرآنِ كَمثَلِ الإِبِلِ الْمُعَقَّلَةِ إِنْ تَعاهد صاحبُهَا عقْلَهَا أَمْسكَهَا، وإذا أَغْفَلهَا ذَهَبَتْ، وإذَا قَام صاحِبُ الْقُرآنِ يقْرؤه آنَاءَ اللَّيل، وآناءَ النَّهَار ذَكَره، وَإِنْ لمْ يقُمْ بِهِ نَسِيهُ".  

الرامهرمزى عن ابن عمر
suyuti:19802a –
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السيوطي:١٩٨٠٢a –

"مَثَلُ القرآنِ إِذَا عَاهَدَ عَليه صاحِبُهُ فَقَرأَهُ باللَّيلِ والنَّهَارِ، كمَثَل رَجُلٍ لَهُ إِبِلٌ فإِنْ عقَلَهَا حَفِظَهَا، وإِنْ أَطْلَقَ عِقَالهَا ذَهَبَتْ، فَكَذَلِكَ صاحِبُ الْقُرآنِ".  

[ش] ابن أبى شيبة [حم] أحمد [خ] البخاري [م] مسلم عن ابن عمر