In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Al-Allaamah Rabee Bin Haadee Al-Madkhalee [may Allaah preserve him] said:

I will mention what Ibnul Qayyim [may Allaah have mercy upon him] and other than him – amongst the people of knowledge – drew attention to regarding the virtue of the scholars in the statement of Allaah [The Blessed and Exalted] said: [يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِى ٱلۡأَمۡرِ مِنكُمۡ‌ۖ – O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad, and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority]. [Surah An-Nisaa. Verse 59]

The pious predecessors explained the term “Ulul Ilm – those who have been given knowledge” to mean “Al-Umaraa -those who are in authority” and some of them explained it to mean “Al-Ulamaa – the scholars”. However, what is correct is that the verse includes both the scholars and those in authority [i.e. the rulers]. The scholars propagate Allaah’s divine law, teach the people, give rulings to the people and the rulers; and the rulers implement the rulings – implement the knowledge (of the divine law], which the scholars possess and propagate. So, the verse includes both the scholars and rulers. And due to this, Ibnul Qayyim said that it is obligatory to obey the scholars when they say, “Allaah said and Allaah’s Messenger said” in issues related to creed, acts of worship or deeds. (Also with regards to affairs) related to halaal and haram, if they say, “Allaah said and the Messenger of Allaah said” and then they give verdicts and judge based on what the Book and Sunnah necessitates, it becomes obligated on the people to obey them. (a) If the rulers command (the people) to obey Allaah -in agreement with what agrees with Allaah’s divine law, then it becomes obligated on the people to obey them. (b)

(But what is) witnessed (in relation to this affair) is that many people do not acknowledge the status of the people of knowledge, and they say, “They (i.e. scholars) are not guardians over us and there are no popes in Islam”. This (i.e. statement of those who do not recognize the status of the scholars) is tantamount to toppling the scholars, belittling them and removing them from their status (i.e. although neither are the scholars regarded as popes nor are they to be treated as popes, but they are the inheritors of the prophets and must be obeyed when they give rulings and judge based on what the Qur’aan and the Sunnah necessitate). This chronic illness started since the appearance of nationalism, western colonialism, the destructive views of the Naasiriyyah [i.e. Pan Arab Socialists] and Ba’thiyyah [i.e. the Ba’ath party – socialists] etc. The figureheads of these filthy dogmas made strenuous efforts to eliminate Islaam and remove it from their path, which they could not accomplish except by toppling the scholars. Then, this disease spread amongst the (innovated or deviated) groups that attribute themselves to Islaam, so you see them earnestly (seeking) to topple the scholars and describing them as stooges of the (government) authorities, spies, tails of the ruler and other evil nicknames. The (aim behind) all of this is to topple the scholars, especially the scholars of the Salafi methodology – the methodology that declares the one who is correct, the one upon error, the one upon falsehood, the misguided one and the deviated one as they are. There is neither flattery nor Mudaahanah [i.e. showing agreement -being pleased with what an opponent is upon, leaving him in his path and not seeking to rectify him, whilst saying, ‘As long as he keeps quiet about me, I will keep quiet about him’, because the inheritors of the prophets [i.e. the upright scholars]- those who present the truth- are just. They aid the religion ordained by Allaah and propagate it in the ummah. They propagate justice, Ihsaan [i.e. all that will perfect the worship of a person, good dealings and benefiting the people through one’s knowledge, wealth and position etc] and righteousness. And they wage war against evil, Fawaahish (i.e. great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse), Shirk, misguidance, innovation in religious affairs and superstitious beliefs beliefs. (1)

The Shaikh [may Allaah preserve him] also said, "Indeed, I advise the youth to have good manners, to be humble, honour the scholars and avoid this evil orientation [i.e. the claim of the one who says, 'I do not make Taqleed of such and such', even though the claim behind this is to reject the truth.. read here [ https://salafidawahmanchester.com/2017/12/15c-excerpts-shaikh-rabees-book-titled-marhaban-yaa-taalibal-ilm-i-not-make-taqleed-person/ ], just as the khawaarij used to say, ‘The judgement belongs to none except Allaah’, so Ali [may Allaah be pleased with him] said to them, ‘A statement of truth by way of which falsehood is desired’.

I swear by Allaah -based on my observations of their actions, statements and stances-that these people desire falsehood and to divert the youth from the scholars. The youth exit a maelstrom and fall into another maelstrom, exit one pit and fall into another, because the people of evil and temptation are hidden behind the scenes, as the saying goes, ‘They want pawns’ whom they move back and forth to confront the Salafi Methodology. Where did Ikhwaan al Muslimoon and the Qutubiyyoon (c) get these ideas from in this land [i.e. Saudi Arabia]? Where did the ideas of Juhaymaan, Abdur Rahmaan Abdul Khaaliq, Al- Haddaad, Al-Maghraawi and Abul Hasan Al-Maribi come from? (d) All of them are tail ends of Ikhwaan Al-Muslimeen’s ideas. All of them- beginning with the civil strife initiated by Juhaymaan up to date- are tail ends of Ikhwaan Al-Muslimeen’s tempation, whose main setup is to topple the scholars. However, they adopt different apparels and semblances – sometimes they adopt the term Al-Ikhwaan, sometimes the term At-Tasawwuf and at other times they adopt the term As-Salafiyyah! The most dangerous one is the term As-Salafiyyah, because they are unable to confront the Salafi Methodology with the terms At-Tab’leegh and Al- Ikhwaan, so they cover this make-believe act with the term As-Salafiyyah and then come along to challenge the scholars [i.e. the true scholars of the Salafi Methodology]. (2)

Ref A: Rights of the scholars and how to behave towards them when they err or when they hold a different view in issues of permissible Ijtihaad: http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=9&Topic=12294
http://www.salaficentre.com/2011/08/concerning-the-correct-understanding-of-laa-inkaar-fee-masaa-il-al-khilaaf/

Ref B: How to deal with the rulers
http://www.salafipublications.com/sps/sp.cfm?subsecID=MNJ16&articleID=MNJ160002&pfriend
http://www.abukhadeejah.com/the-tyranny-of-the-rulers-a-reason-for-rebellion/
http://www.salafipublications.com/sps/sp.cfm?secID=MNJ&subsecID=MNJ16&loadpage=displaysubsection.cfm

Ref 1: Source: An Excerpt From Marhaban Yaa Taalibal Ilm’ pages 58-60. slightly paraphrased]

Ref C: Visit: http://www.ikhwanis.com/

Ref D: Readings in Elementary Qutubism, visit: http://www.salafipublications.com/sps/sp.cfm?subsecID=NDV11&articleID=GRV070003&articlePages=1

Ref 2: An Excerpt from Marhaban Yaa Taalibal Ilm. pages 62-63. slightly paraphrased]