The People's Position Toward Those Who Disparage the Scholars
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Your Eminence, father, he says: What is our position, O son of al-'Amm and students of knowledge, toward those who mistreat the scholars and disparage them?
Answer:
Your position is to advise them and remind them that it is not permissible to backbite a Muslim in general. It is not permissible to backbite a Muslim, even if he is from the common people or from the ignorant. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Hujurat 49:12] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified the meaning of backbiting by saying: Backbiting is Sunan Abi Dawud 4874Sahih (Al-Albani). They said: O Messenger of Allah, Sunan Abi Dawud 4874Sahih (Al-Albani), meaning you lied about him. In any case, you do not mention your absent brother with what he dislikes of his mistakes; rather, you must refrain from that. And if you have concern for your brother, you advise him and clarify his mistake to him. You clarify his mistake to him in the context of advice, and advice is obligatory. Religion is advice, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said. That is not backbiting, because backbiting only increases the severity of the matter. As for advice, Allah may benefit the one being advised through it, and he may retract from his mistake. As for backbiting and disparaging him in gatherings, that increases evil with more evil. Yes.
Your Eminence, father, he says: What is our position, O son of al-'Amm and students of knowledge, toward those who mistreat the scholars and disparage them?
Answer:
Your position is to advise them and remind them that it is not permissible to backbite a Muslim in general. It is not permissible to backbite a Muslim, even if he is from the common people or from the ignorant. Allah the Exalted said:
or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.
وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌIt is saying something about your brother which he would dislike
ذكرك أخاك بما يكرهTell me how the matter stands if what I say about my brother is true? He replied: If what you say of him is true, you have slandered him, and if what you say of him is not true, you have reviled him.
أرأيت إن كان في أخي ما أقول؟ قال إن كان فيه ما تقول فقد اغتبته، وإن لم يكن فيه ما تقول فقد بهته
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-016-الإيمان حقيقته أركانه شعبه ثمراته|صالح الفوزان|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (44:52)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.