Beware: The flesh of Islamic scholars is poisonous, warns scholar

The saying "the flesh of Islamic scholars is poisonous" serves as a stark warning against the spiritual dangers of disrespecting those who teach divine knowledge. This maxim, attributed to the classical historian Al-Hafiz, Imam Abul-Qasim Ali Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Asakir, and echoed by figures like Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, cautions the Muslim community against the severe consequences of insulting, abusing, or slandering Islamic scholars, known as Ulama'.

According to Ibn Asakir's writings, those who "let their tongue loose against the Islamic scholars with slander will be afflicted by Allah with the death of the heart, spiritual numbness and ruin." The article emphasizes that while scholars are human and not infallible, attacking them is seen as a direct assault on Islam itself. Backbiting is a major sin in Islam, and when directed at sincere religious guides, the spiritual repercussions are amplified.

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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.

The text highlights that Allah defends those who believe and guide others. Individuals who habitually find fault with or fabricate lies against scholars often face humiliation or spiritual bankruptcy. Such actions create discord, blind people from seeking authentic religious guidance, and fracture the unity of the Muslim Ummah. While respectful correction based on evidence is acceptable, malicious character assassination and mockery are condemned as destructive to the critic's own hereafter.

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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.