The ruling on one who claims to be a Salafi and criticizes the scholars under the pretext of al-jarh wa al-ta'dil (the critique and vindication of narrators)

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: What is the ruling on one who says, “I am a Salafi, meaning I follow the methodology of the Salaf,” but he criticizes the scholars and claims this is al-jarh wa al-ta'dil (the critique and vindication of narrators), making it his main preoccupation?

Answer:
Is he a hadith scholar? Al-jarh wa al-ta'dil (the critique and vindication of narrators) is in the science of hadith and the science of isnad (the chain of narration). As for ghibah (backbiting) and namimah (talebearing), they are haram (forbidden) and are not part of al-jarh; they are of the forbidden type of al-jarh, and may Allah protect us from that. It is ghibah or namimah. Is it permissible for them? Did the Salaf permit ghibah and namimah? He says, “I am a Salafi,” but he lies about the Salaf; they did not permit ghibah and namimah. Yes.