Who Are the People of the Qurʾān and Allāh’s Select Ones?

Shaikh Ṣāliḥ Al-Fawzān, may Allāh protect him, said:

What’s not meant by “People of the Qurʾān” are those who just memorize it and recite it properly; rather, the People of the Qurʾān are those who act upon it, even if they haven’t memorized it. So those who act upon the Qurʾān by [paying heed to] its commands, prohibitions, and limits are Allāh’s People and His Select Ones among His creation; they are the Select of the Select.

As for one who memorizes the Qurʾān, recites it well, is precise about its letters [and words], [but] neglects its [laws and] limits, this [person] is not from the People of the Qurʾān and not from the Select Ones. So the People of Qurʾān are the ones who use it to establish proofs and don’t let anything else come before it, and they take out of it jurisprudence, rulings, and religion.

Sharḥ Risālah Al-ʿUbūdiyyah, p. 64.