What is the ruling on one who insults Abu Bakr and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them)?

Question:
Your Eminence, the father, sent a message. The questioner asks: What is the ruling on one who insults Abu Bakr and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them)?

Answer:
His ruling is that he is a transgressor against Allah and His Messenger, and he insults the best of the ummah (the Muslim community). It is feared that he has fallen into apostasy (riddah) if he insulted them for what they did regarding the religion, spreading Islam, and establishing Islam; this is apostasy. But if he insulted them out of personal enmity, this is a major sin. But how can he insult them out of personal enmity when he did not live in their time and did not take anything from them? It is only because he hates their religion and hates what they are upon. This is apostasy from the religion of Islam. And Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), when He mentioned the Companions, said: "Do they not enrage you?" Who does it enrage? The disbelievers. So no one is enraged by the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) except a disbeliever, and may Allah protect us from that. Yes.