The Ruling on Criticizing and Vindicating Narrators Other Than Scholars

Question:
May Allah reward you. The questioner says: Matters of criticizing and vindicating narrators, and the lack of respect for scholars and preachers, have spread in our lands. What is the position on this? Who is the one who criticizes and vindicates? And how did our righteous predecessors apply this in practice?

Answer:
Criticizing and vindicating narrators is for the people of knowledge; it is not for those who feign knowledge or the ignorant. Criticizing and vindicating narrators is in the science of hadith. In the science of hadith, it is specific to hadith scholars and the people of knowledge.
This is for the sake of preserving the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) so that nothing of falsehood enters it. This is the intended purpose. As for the actions of these people who feign knowledge, we do not call it criticizing or vindicating; rather, we call it backbiting. We call it backbiting and talebearing. This is what we call it; it is not criticizing and vindicating, because it is not in the chains of hadith. Criticizing and vindicating is for the narrators of hadith.
As for speaking about people, speaking about scholars, and speaking about those in authority, we call this backbiting, talebearing, inciting, and sowing discord among Muslims. This is what we call it. Whoever is afflicted with any of this should repent to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), disavow it, and save himself so that he is not a backbiter, a talebearer, or one who has a bad opinion of Muslims and the scholars of Muslims without right. He should repent to Allah (Mighty and Majestic).