What is the ruling of Islamic law concerning those who issue negative and general judgments against scholars and jurists, and with what should a Muslim respond to them from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the sayings of the Salaf?

The role of scholars is immense, and whoever among them undertakes this matter incurs greater blame if they err, because their error might deter people from the path of Allah. There are evil scholars whose words invite to Paradise but whose actions invite to Hellfire. However, the fundamental characteristic of people of knowledge is justice and integrity. It is impermissible to use the errors of some individuals who claim scholarly affiliation as a pretext to disparage all scholars, as this is the path of deviants. Scholars are the stars by which one is guided, and slandering them is a demolition of religion. Slandering scholars is considered one of the causes of atheism. A scholar's error does not diminish their status, for every human being errs, and fortunate is he whose slips are forgiven, especially scholars, due to their positive impact. Tracking the slips of scholars is a characteristic of deviants. Glorifying and honoring scholars is a sign of piety of the hearts, and loyalty to them is one of the strongest bonds of faith. Unrestrained speech against scholars has dire consequences, and the flesh of scholars is poisoned; whoever slanders them may die in heart before dying physically.