Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The chapter on honoring scholars, respecting them, and elevating their seats": This means what is related to this of noble meanings.
This is because the author intends by scholars the scholars of the Shari'ah, who are the heirs of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). For the scholars are the heirs of the prophets, because the prophets did not leave behind a dirham or a dinar. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) passed away leaving his daughter Fatimah and his uncle al-Abbas, and they did not inherit anything, because prophets do not leave inheritances. They only left behind knowledge, knowledge of the Shari'ah of Allah. So whoever takes hold of the knowledge takes hold of a large share of the inheritance of the scholars.
And if the prophets have the right to be revered, magnified, and honored, then those who inherit from them have a share of that; they are to be magnified, honored, and revered. For this reason, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) established a chapter for this great issue, because it is a great issue. By honoring the scholars, the Shari'ah is honored, because they are its bearers. By insulting the scholars, the Shari'ah is insulted, because if the scholars are humiliated and fall in the eyes of people, the Shari'ah they carry is humiliated, and it no longer has value in the eyes of people. Then every person despises them and looks down on them, and the Shari'ah is lost.
Similarly, the rulers, from among the princes and sultans, must be respected, honored, magnified, and obeyed, according to what the Shari'ah has brought, because if they are despised in the eyes of people, humiliated, and their authority is diminished, security is lost and the lands become chaos, and the sultan has no strength or influence.
So these two types of people: the scholars and the princes, if they are despised in the eyes of people, the Shari'ah is corrupted, security is corrupted, and matters are lost. Then every person thinks he is the scholar, and every person thinks he is the prince, so the Shari'ah is lost and the lands are lost. For this reason, Allah the Exalted commanded obedience to the rulers, from among the scholars and the princes, and He said: .
We give you an example: If the scholars and the princes are not honored, then when people hear something from a scholar, they say: This is trivial. So-and-so said the opposite, such and such. Or he says: This is trivial; he knows it and we know it. As we have heard from some foolish ignorant people, that when they are debated in a matter of knowledge, and it is said to them: This is the saying of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, or this is the saying of al-Shafi'i, or the saying of Malik, or the saying of Abu Hanifah, or the saying of Sufyan, or the like of that, he says: Yes, they are men and we are men. But there is a difference between your manliness and the manliness of these. Who are you to confront them with your saying, your poor understanding, your lack of knowledge, and your shortcoming in ijtihad, until you make yourself an equal to these Imams (may Allah have mercy on them)?
If people take the scholars lightly, everyone says: "I am the son of Jal and I see the tips of the mountains", I am the scholar, I am the eloquent one, I am the intelligent one, I am the distinguished scholar, I am the ocean with no shore. Who will remain? Everyone speaks whatever he wants and issues fatwas whatever he wants, and the Shari'ah is torn apart because of what happens from some of the foolish.
The princes are the same. If it is said, for example: The ruler ordered such and such, he says: There is no obedience for him, there is no obedience for him, because he is neglecting such and such and neglecting such and such. Well, if he neglects such and such, his sin is on his own head, and you are commanded to listen and obey, even if they drink intoxicants, and even if they embrace flutes, everything, as long as we do not see clear disbelief in which we have proof from Allah. Otherwise, their obedience is obligatory, even if they commit open sin, even if they are arrogant, even if they are unjust. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
And he said to his companions regarding if the princes neglect their duty, he said: .
As for wanting our princes to be like Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali, this is not possible. Let us be like the people of that time, let us be Companions or like the Companions, so that our rulers are like the caliphs of the Companions.
But the people, as we know now: most of them are negligent in their obligations, many of them violate the prohibitions, and then they want Allah to appoint righteous caliphs over them. This is far off. But it is upon us to listen and obey, and if they themselves are shortcoming, that is their shortcoming upon them. They carry what they carry, and we carry what we carry.
So if the scholars are not honored and the princes are not honored, the religion and the world are lost. We ask Allah for safety.
Then the author cited as evidence the words of Allah the Exalted: , : This means that those who know are not equal to those who do not know, because the ignorant person is characterized by a blameworthy trait, and the scholar is characterized by a praiseworthy trait. For this reason, if you insult the lowest of the common people and say to him: You are ignorant, he becomes angry and denies it, which indicates that ignorance is a blameworthy defect that everyone shuns, and knowledge is better. Those who know are not equal to those who do not know in any circumstance.
The scholar worships Allah with insight. He knows how to perform wudu', how to pray, how to give zakah, how to fast, how to perform Hajj, how to be dutiful to his parents, how to maintain his family ties.
The scholar guides people . It is not possible for this to be like that. So the scholar is a light by which people are guided, and Allah raises him by it. The ignorant person is a burden on others; he does not benefit himself or others. Rather, if he issues a fatwa out of ignorance, he harms himself and harms others. So those who know are not equal to those who do not know.
Then the author cited as evidence the hadith of 'Uqbah ibn 'Amr that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: : This means that the one who is most proficient in reciting the Book of Allah becomes their imam. : Meaning in Islam. And in a wording: : Meaning the oldest in age.
And this indicates that the one with knowledge is given precedence over others. The scholar of the Book of Allah is given precedence, then the scholar of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). No one from the people is given precedence in religious matters except the best of them. No one from the people is given precedence in religious knowledge except the best and most excellent of them.
And this indicates giving precedence to the best, then the best, in leading the prayer. And this is for other than the regular imam. As for the regular imam, he is the imam, even if there is among the people someone who is more proficient in recitation than him. Because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) in the hadith: . And the imam, the regular imam of the mosque, is a sultan in his mosque; he has authority. So much so that some scholars say: "If someone steps forward and leads the congregation of the mosque without the permission of the imam, their prayers are invalid. They must repeat them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited this leading, and prohibition implies invalidity". And Allah grants success.