By Imam Murtadha Gusau
In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds and Lord of all creation — may the salutations of Allah, His peace and blessings be upon the noblest of all of the Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad, upon his family, his Companions and all those who follow them precisely until the establishment of the Hour.
Dear brothers and sisters! Know that, the famous statement “The flesh of Islamic scholars is poisonous” is a famous maxim coined by the classical historian and great Islamic scholar, the author of a great, famous and popular book, ‘Tarikh Madinat Dimashq’ (The History of Damascus), Al-Hafiz, Imam Abul-Qasim Ali Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Asakir, and echoed by other notable Imams like Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, to warn the Ummah against the grave spiritual danger of insulting, abusing, slandering, mocking, or unjustly attacking the honour of those who carry and teach the divine knowledge; the Ulama’.
Al-Hafiz, Imam Abul-Qasim Ali Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Asakir wrote in his book Tabyin Kazib al-Muftari:
“Know, O my brother—may Allah guide us and you—that the flesh of the Islamic scholars is poisonous, and Allah’s custom in exposing and destroying those who belittle them is well known.”
He added that:
“Whoever lets their tongue loose against the Islamic scholars with slander will be afflicted by Allah with the death of the heart, spiritual numbness and ruin, before they even die physically.”
No doubt, Islamic scholars are not infallible, but because they preserve and transmit the legacy and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), attacking them is a direct assault on Islam and the vehicle of guidance itself.
Consuming the “flesh” of a person via backbiting is already a major sin likened in the noble Qur’an to eating the dead flesh of one’s brother. When the person slandered is a sincere guide of the religion, the spiritual toxicity and punishment are multiplied. Allah Almighty steps in to defend those who truly believe and guide others; those who make a habit of finding faults in or fabricating lies against the Islamic scholars and the people of knowledge invariably end up humiliated or spiritually bankrupt.
Unjustly tearing down Islamic scholars creates fitnah, discord, and blinds ordinary people from seeking authentic religious guidance, and fractures the unity and peace of the Muslim Ummah.
Islam teaches respect for the Islamic scholars and Ulama’ while acknowledging that they are human beings who can make mistakes. And remember, correcting or differing with an Islamic scholar based on solid textual evidence with proper respect is acceptable, but malicious character assassination, mockery, and cheap point-scoring on social media or from the religious or political pulpit destroy the critic’s own Hereafter.
Respected brothers and sisters! In a time when the status, rank and honour of the Islamic scholars are being maligned and attacked by some misguided political singers, or some ignorant politicians, or some callers to misguidance, it is must and appropriate that we make mention of some important narrations and scholarly sayings regarding this crucial subject. One should be in no doubt that those who revile, speak ill and belittle the Islamic scholars and put doubt in the hearts of the Muslims regarding them are criminals and misguided people.
This present band of misguided people openly declare particular Islamic scholars to be “driven by desires” whilst at the same time, “not caring” about the plight of Muslim Ummah.
Muslim Ummah should not be deceived by these plots, plans and schemes to turn people away from the Islamic knowledge.
Imam Ibn Majah reported in his Sunan that:
Amr Bin Shuʿaib narrated that his father said: Muʿawiyyah (RA) stood up to deliver a sermon and he said, “Where are your scholars? Where are your scholars? For I heard the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) say: The Hour will not be established until a group of my Ummah is manifest over the people, and they do not care who lets them down, who betrays them or who supports them.” [See As-Sahihah of Shaikh al-Albani, Hadith no. 1165, 1958, 1971]
Due to the steadfastness of the Islamic scholars and their fear of Allah, they are not scared of the blame of blamers or the accusations of the ignorant people against them. They do not care if they are betrayed, opposed or abandoned. They are the followers and the inheritors of the Prophets, and they know that those who are tried and afflicted the most are the Prophets and Messengers of Allah, then those who resemble them. So they remain firm upon the Truth regardless of the opposition, even when the followers of truth are few in number.
Abdullah Ibn Masʿud (RA) explained:
“There will not come upon you a day except that it is worse than the day that came before it until the Hour is established. I do not mean in terms of affluence in one’s life or the wealth that one acquires. Rather, there will not come upon you a day except that it will be lesser in knowledge than the day that passed before it. So when the Islamic scholars have passed away and died, the people will all be at the same level – so they will not enjoin the good, nor forbid the evil, and at that point, they will be ruined.” [Reported by Imam Ad-Darimi and Ibn Hajr declared the narration to be good in Fathul-Bari, volume 13, page 26-27]
Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-As said: I heard Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) saying:
“Allah does not take away the knowledge by taking it away from the hearts of the people, but He takes it away by the death of the Islamic scholars till no Islamic scholar remains. Then people will take as their leaders the ignoramuses who when asked will give their verdict (fatwa) without knowledge. So they will go astray themselves and will lead the people astray.” [Reported by Al-Bukhari]
In another wording, he said:
“There will remain the ignoramuses from whom verdicts (fatwas) will be sought. They will give verdicts based upon their own opinions, so they will go astray and will lead the people astray.” [Al-Bukhari]
When the Islamic scholars are abandoned or they pass away, people turn to the ignorant ones as their leaders, the pretenders, who lead the people into ruin.
Abdullah Ibn Masʿud said:
“Learn knowledge before it is taken away, and it is taken away by the death of the Islamic scholars. And beware of going to extremes and delving too deeply, and beware of innovations. Upon you is to adhere to the ancient affair.” [See Ad-Darimi with the explanation, Fathul-Mannan, volume 2, page 115, Al-Musannaf of Abdur-Razzaq, volume 11, page 252, Jami’u Bayan Al-Ilm wa Fadlihi, volume 1, page 152, and Al-Amr bil-Ittiba, page 59]
When the Islamic scholars are present, knowledge, action and piety are widespread. When the Islamic scholars are few and abandoned, and the riff-raff and rabble speak, knowledge diminishes along with deeds and piety. Abu Zar narrated from Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him):
“You are today in a time of many Islamic Scholars and few speakers. So whoever abandons even a tenth of what he knows is ruined. There will come after that a time of many ignorant speakers wherein the Islamic scholars are few. So whoever holds fast to even a tenth of what he knows will be saved.” [Reported by At-Tirmidhi, Ahmad in Al-Musnad, Al-Bukharī in At-Tarikh, Al-Harawi in Zammul-Kalam, and authenticated by Al-Albanī in As-Sahihah, Hadith no. 2510]
So when there are numerous speakers, musicians, content creators, mostly young, ignorant and reckless, who revile the Islamic scholars and belittle their worth; accusing them of being ignorant of current affairs and the reality of Muslim communities and societies, such that the people no longer distinguish between a person of knowledge and the riff-raff who call to misguidance, it is then that they are ruined.
In these times, this negativity towards the Islamic scholars is rampant and widespread – and these ignoramuses, who falsely ascribe themselves to Islam and Muslims wallahi are more harmful to the Islam and Muslims than the unbelievers.
Ash-Shaikh Rabīʿ Ibn Hadī Umair Al-Madkhali (rahimahullah) was asked regarding those who revile the Islamic scholars, so he answered:
“This is a very dangerous matter indeed, meaning: criticising those who are upon the Truth – attacking them leads to attacking and contending with the religion itself because it prevents people from the Path of Allah. That is due to the fact that the one who attacks the callers to the Truth, the callers to Tawhid, those who call to fight against shirk, bidʿah and misguidance – attacking them causes one to flee from the Path of Allah Almighty. And you know already what Allah has stated regarding those who opposed and attacked the Prophets. They would attack their callers, not so much their individuals. They would say: “He’s a liar, a magician..” and so on from terms of abuse. So if he is reviled in his character, then his Da’awah is lost. And this is the case today. The Islamic scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. So when a people call to the Islam, to the Book of Allah, to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), to the Methodology of the Prophets in Aqīdah, to fighting against shirk, upon the Methodology of the Prophets, then there come a people in opposition reviling them – and this means that they prevent people from the Path of Allah. So we ask Allah that He guides them to repent, and that they return to the Truth, that they recognise the position of the People of Truth, and they abandon their stance in front of those who are eager for the Truth so they do not prevent them from the Path of Allah.” [See Wujub Al-Ittibaʿ la Ibtida’ from the Shaikh’s website]
The role of the Islamic scholars is crucial in the preservation of the Religion of Allah. Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) stated:
“This knowledge will be carried by the trustworthy of every generation. They will expel from it the distortions of those who go to extremes, the lies of the falsifiers, and the interpretations of the ignorant.” [Reported by Al-Baihaqī in As-Sunan Al-Kubra, At-Tabrīzī in Mishkat Al-Masabīh and Ibn Abdul-Barr in At-Tamhīd, volume 1, page 59]
So to attack the Islamic scholars is to harm those whom Allah has raised to preserve and guard His Religion against the people of falsehood and desires, and to block people from the Path of Allah.
As mentioned above, Al-Hafiz, Imam Abul-Qasim Ali Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Asakir (rahimahullah) said:
“Know, my brother – may Allah guide us and you to His pleasure, and that He makes us from those who fear Him and are dutiful to Him as He deserves – that the flesh of the Islamic scholars, may Allah be merciful with them, is poison. And Allah’s established way of tearing down the screen of those who attack the Islamic scholars is well-known. That is because attacking them for an affair that they are innocent of is a mighty thing – and to speak of their honour with falsehood and fabrications is an evil and noxious pasture to graze upon! To concoct falsehood against those whom Allah has chosen to disseminate knowledge is a despicable characteristic. And to emulate those whom Allah has praised; which is the saying of those who followed the believers, that they would seek forgiveness for those who preceded them – that is a noble characteristic. Allah said in His Book, in praise of them: “And those who came after them say, ‘Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful.’” And the one who lets loose his tongue against the Islamic scholars with slander, then Allah will afflict him before his actual death by killing his heart: “And let those who oppose the Messenger’s commandment beware, lest some Fitnah (affliction) befall them or a painful punishment be inflicted on them.” [See Tabyin Kazib Al-Muftarī page 28-30]
Imam At-Tahawi (rahimahullah) stated in his Aqidah:
“And the Islamic scholars of the Salaf, from the early ones and those who came after them from the Tabiʿin: they are the people of goodness, people of narrations (ahlul-Athar), and people of understanding (ahlul-fiqh) and insight – they are not to be mentioned except with fine and beautiful speech. The one who speaks of them with bad speech is not upon the correct path.”
Ash-Shaikh Salih Al-Fawzan (hafizahullah) commented:
“The author moves on from the Sahabah to mention those who come after them in virtue, and they are the Islamic scholars. So the Islamic scholars of this Ummah have status and virtue after the Sahabah because they are the inheritors of the Prophets due to the saying of the Messenger, ‘The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets’. And the intent here is the Islamic scholars, the people of knowledge, insight and understanding, ahlul-athar, and they are ahlul-Hadīth…”
Abdullah Ibn Mubarak (rahimahullah) said:
“Whoever belittles the Islamic scholars has lost his Hereafter. Whoever belittles the leaders has lost his worldly affairs. Whoever belittles his brothers has lost his honour.” [See Siyaru A’lamin Nubala’, of Imam Az-Zahabī, volume 8, page 408]
Khatib Al-Baghdadī narrated from Shaʿabi who said: Ibn Abbas took hold of the stirrups of the riding beast of Zaid Ibn Thabit (RA). So Zaid said:
“You take hold of them for me whilst you are the son of the uncle of Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him)?” Ibn Abbas replied, “Verily this is how we behave with the Islamic scholars.” [See Al-Jami’ li Akhlaq Ar-Rawi wa Adabis-Sami’, volume 1, page 188]
Yahya Ibn Saʿid: Shuʿbah said to me:
“Whosoever I wrote Hadith from, I was with him as a servant.” [Siyaru A’lamin Nubala, volume 7, page 208]
So the Islamic scholars are to be respected and honoured and not belittled, attacked and reviled. The one who belittles them seeks to raise his own status among the masses and to turn them away from Allah’s religion. A Muslim should not be in doubt or ambiguity concerning those who have turned away from the Islamic scholars and turned from the callers to truth and call for a new “understanding” of the religion through their Eurocentric, Modernist, Liberal or Afrocentric lens. The Religion of Allah is one, and the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) left us upon clear proof with respect to it, and upon us is to follow and to remain with those whom the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) described in the following Hadith:
“There shall not cease to remain a group from my Ummah, steadfast upon the command of Allah. They are not harmed by those who abandon them nor by those who oppose them until the command of Allah comes – and they shall be manifest over the people.” [Reported by Muslim]
Imam Muhammad Ibn Isma’īl Al-Bukharī said: Ali Ibn Al-Madini said:
“They are Ashabul-Hadīth.”
They are the Islamic scholars as the Companion, Muʿawiyah (RA) stated in the first Hadith above.
Imam At-Tirmidhi reported from Ibn Umar that Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) said:
“Allah will not unite my Ummah upon misguidance. And the Hand of Allah is with the Jama’ah, and whoever deviates from that, he deviates himself to the Fire.”
Abu Isa At-Tirmidhī said:
“And the meaning of Al-Jama’ah in the view of the Islamic scholars is: The people of understanding and knowledge and Hadīth.”
So the Jama’ah about whom the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: “The Hand of Allah is with the Jama’ah,” are the Islamic scholars and whoever deviates from that Jamaʿah, “deviates himself to the Fire.”
So beware of being drawn into this innovated speech that seeks to belittle the Islamic scholars of our time. And we remind those who fell into this sin with the words of Shaikh Rabī’ (rahimahullah):
“We ask Allah that He guides them to repent, and that they return to the Truth, that they recognise the position of the People of Truth, that they abandon their stance in front of those who are eager for the Truth so they do not prevent them from the Path of Allah.”
Dear brothers and sisters! Now we understand that, the famous saying “the flesh of Islamic scholars is poisoned” (Luhumul-Ulama’ masmumah) is a historic warning by the great classical Islamic scholar, Al-Hafiz, Imam Ali Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Asakir. reminding Muslim believers that disrespecting or backbiting those who carry Prophetic knowledge brings severe spiritual harm and divine retribution.
As mentioned earlier, the classical historian and great Islamic scholar Al-Hafiz, Imam Ibn Asakir, may Allah have mercy on him, famously wrote that the flesh of scholars is poisoned, and whoever lets their tongue attack the honour of the learned will be punished by Allah with the death of their heart before their physical death.
Islamic teachings emphasise that true Islamic scholars do not leave behind gold or silver, but rather knowledge. Honouring them is part of exalting Allah and respecting the message they preserve. Speaking ill of righteous Islamic scholars or making false accusations against them hardens and destroys one’s spiritual connection to Allah.
Allah protects the Islamic scholars, those who truly believe and guide others; attacking their integrity invites humiliation and a ruined hereafter.
Constructive critique based on evidence is different from malicious fault-finding, insults, and tearing down the honour of Ummah guides on social media or public forums.
And understand that the supplication and Du’a of a wronged person carries devastating spiritual weight, and when that person is a man or woman of religious knowledge, an alim or a scholar, wronging them or driving them to pray against you invites swift divine retribution.
Islamic scholars carry the legacy of the Prophets; harming their honour or rights is an assault on truth itself.
Their frequent Zikr, taqwa, and pure reliance make their hearts tender and alert before their Lord.
An Islamic scholar who is genuinely oppressed needs no intermediary; their plea ascends straight to the Throne.
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah.”
When an authority or a layperson unjustly attacks, mocks, or harms a devoted Islamic scholar, and the Islamic scholar raises their hands in pain, Divine Justice moves immediately to dismantle the oppressor’s peace, wealth, or standing.
Countless historical accounts warn that leaders and common folk who ruined the dignity of righteous Islamic scholars found their own lives collapsing in sudden ruin.
Believing a scholar’s piety prevents them from crying out to Allah is a dangerous delusion; desperation strips away formal patience, leaving raw, piercing sincerity.
Finally, on the other hand, to maintain their dignity and to protect their integrity and noble position, Islam strictly prohibits Islamic scholars, Ulama, from participating in, endorsing, assisting or supporting any form of injustice against the poor citizens. Islamic scholars are bound by divine command to speak the truth, guide society toward equity, and actively refuse cooperation with the oppressors.
Allah Almighty states in a sacred tradition (Hadith Qudsi) that:
“O My servants, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and have made it forbidden among you, so do not wrong one another.”
Islamic scholars inherit the mantle of the Prophets and Messengers of Allah, making the defense of justice an absolute religious duty rather than an optional choice.
Prophetic traditions warn that those Islamic scholars who validate a leader’s falsehoods or assist in their oppression dissociate themselves from the Prophet’s guidance.
Authentic Islamic scholarship requires confronting wrongdoing directly and advising leaders with love, justice and wisdom.
Assisting an unjust system—even through minor acts or silent endorsement—violates the Qur’anic injunction:
“And do not cooperate in sin and injustice.”
Islamic scholars are obligated to defend victims of tyranny regardless of religion, region, status, ethnicity, or background.
So our great religion (Islam) strictly prohibits Islamic scholars from participating in, endorsing, assisting or supporting any form of injustice. Islamic scholars carry a heavy religious duty to uphold the truth, speak against tyranny, and guide society with integrity.
The following is the Arabic text of Al-Hafiz Ibn Asakir words:
“اعلم يا أخي وفقنا الله وإياك لمرضاته، وجعلنا ممن يخشاه ويتقيه حق تقاته، أن لحوم العلماء مسمومة، وعادة الله في هتك أستار منتقصيهم معلومة، فإن من أطلق لسانه في العلماء بالثلب، ابتلاه الله تعالى قبل موته بموت القلب، قال الله تعالى: “فليحذر الذين يخالفون عن أمره أن تصيبهم فتنة أو يصيبهم عذاب أليم…”
~ الحافظ أبو القاسم ابن عساكر رحمه الله، في كتابه الشهير ‘تبيين كذب المفتري. ‘
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may the salutations of peace, security and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad, upon his family, upon all his Companions and true followers.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761 or +2348024192217.
This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Safar 23, 1448 AH (August 07, 2026).