What is the duty of the Muslim community toward its scholars?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh. This person asks: What is the duty of the Muslim community toward its scholars who sacrifice their lives and time in the path of warning the Muslim community against the misleading trials, clarifying the path of salvation that leads to the pleasure of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and conveying knowledge to the people?
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. The duty of the general public toward their scholars is to revere them, respect them, refrain from spreading their faults, and publicize their virtues. This is because scholars are the bearers of the Shari'ah and the guides of creation. The Muslim community cannot exist without scholars. If there are no scholars, the Muslim community is lost in its religion; and if there are no rulers, the Muslim community is lost in its worldly affairs and security. Therefore, we must respect our scholars and value them appropriately, without exaggeration or negligence. We must also give our rulers their due word and obedience, except in disobedience to Allah. If the status of the Muslim community declines, the status of the scholars declines with it, and the Shari'ah is lost. This is because the people's trust in a scholar is trust in what he says. The decline in the scholar's status is a decline in what he says. The same applies to rulers. The people's respect for the rulers' orders preserves security and prevents chaos. A decline in the people's trust in the rulers means chaos, rebellion, and disobedience. I do not mean by this that you should believe scholars are infallible. No, scholars make mistakes and hit the mark. But which is closer to the truth: the scholar or the ignorant person? The scholar who is well-grounded in knowledge or the student of knowledge? The former. If that is the case, we must respect our scholars, especially those known for goodness and who strive to convey the Shari'ah to the Muslim community, for they have a right over the Muslim community. They are the bearers of the Shari'ah and callers to good, so we must respect them. Rulers are the same; we must obey them in other than disobedience to Allah, even if they are guilty of some sins. Their sins are upon them. Therefore, we say: The ruler is to be obeyed. Yes, the ruler is to be obeyed even if he disobeys Allah, but he is not to be obeyed in disobedience to Allah. Is that correct? The statement is sound, my brothers. The ruler is to be obeyed even if he disobeys Allah, but he is not to be obeyed in disobedience to Allah. Therefore, if the ruler orders you to do something that is not disobedience to Allah, you say, "By Allah, I will not listen or obey." Why, my son? He says, "Because your garment is long, and this is a sin, so I will not obey your order while you are disobeying Allah." This is forbidden; it is not permissible. Obey his order even if he disobeys Allah, as long as he does not order you to disobey Allah. For this reason, many of the caliphs after the Rightly Guided Caliphs carried sins, and the scholars held that obedience to them was obligatory as long as they did not order disobedience. If they ordered disobedience, it is not permissible for anyone to agree with them, absolutely, ever. How can I disobey a king of this world? Yes, and how can I obey a king of this world and disobey the King of this world and the Hereafter, who is the King over me and upon whom I am? It is not permissible to obey the rulers in disobedience to Allah, absolutely. But we must obey them even if they disobey Allah. The difference between the two statements is clear. So I say: It is obligatory for us to respect the scholars and to respect the rulers, and to treat each of them as the Shari'ah requires. Otherwise, security will be lost and trust in the Shari'ah will be lost.
We must also know that backbiting is one of the major sins, and it is more severe in the case of rulers and scholars due to the great harms that result from it, the extent of which only Allah (Mighty and Majestic) knows.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. The duty of the general public toward their scholars is to revere them, respect them, refrain from spreading their faults, and publicize their virtues. This is because scholars are the bearers of the Shari'ah and the guides of creation. The Muslim community cannot exist without scholars. If there are no scholars, the Muslim community is lost in its religion; and if there are no rulers, the Muslim community is lost in its worldly affairs and security. Therefore, we must respect our scholars and value them appropriately, without exaggeration or negligence. We must also give our rulers their due word and obedience, except in disobedience to Allah. If the status of the Muslim community declines, the status of the scholars declines with it, and the Shari'ah is lost. This is because the people's trust in a scholar is trust in what he says. The decline in the scholar's status is a decline in what he says. The same applies to rulers. The people's respect for the rulers' orders preserves security and prevents chaos. A decline in the people's trust in the rulers means chaos, rebellion, and disobedience. I do not mean by this that you should believe scholars are infallible. No, scholars make mistakes and hit the mark. But which is closer to the truth: the scholar or the ignorant person? The scholar who is well-grounded in knowledge or the student of knowledge? The former. If that is the case, we must respect our scholars, especially those known for goodness and who strive to convey the Shari'ah to the Muslim community, for they have a right over the Muslim community. They are the bearers of the Shari'ah and callers to good, so we must respect them. Rulers are the same; we must obey them in other than disobedience to Allah, even if they are guilty of some sins. Their sins are upon them. Therefore, we say: The ruler is to be obeyed. Yes, the ruler is to be obeyed even if he disobeys Allah, but he is not to be obeyed in disobedience to Allah. Is that correct? The statement is sound, my brothers. The ruler is to be obeyed even if he disobeys Allah, but he is not to be obeyed in disobedience to Allah. Therefore, if the ruler orders you to do something that is not disobedience to Allah, you say, "By Allah, I will not listen or obey." Why, my son? He says, "Because your garment is long, and this is a sin, so I will not obey your order while you are disobeying Allah." This is forbidden; it is not permissible. Obey his order even if he disobeys Allah, as long as he does not order you to disobey Allah. For this reason, many of the caliphs after the Rightly Guided Caliphs carried sins, and the scholars held that obedience to them was obligatory as long as they did not order disobedience. If they ordered disobedience, it is not permissible for anyone to agree with them, absolutely, ever. How can I disobey a king of this world? Yes, and how can I obey a king of this world and disobey the King of this world and the Hereafter, who is the King over me and upon whom I am? It is not permissible to obey the rulers in disobedience to Allah, absolutely. But we must obey them even if they disobey Allah. The difference between the two statements is clear. So I say: It is obligatory for us to respect the scholars and to respect the rulers, and to treat each of them as the Shari'ah requires. Otherwise, security will be lost and trust in the Shari'ah will be lost.
We must also know that backbiting is one of the major sins, and it is more severe in the case of rulers and scholars due to the great harms that result from it, the extent of which only Allah (Mighty and Majestic) knows.