(44) Chapter: Revering the Scholars and Elders, Preferring them to others and raising their Status

Abu Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is out of reverence to Allah in respecting an aged Muslim, and the one who commits the Qur'an to memory and does not exaggerate pronouncing its letters nor forgets it after memorizing, and to respect the just ruler".

[Abu Dawud]

Commentary: An aged Muslim here means one who lives a pious life till his old age. The word "Hamil-ul-Qur'an'' translated here as `the one who commits the Qur'an to memory,' who have memorized the complete Qur'an. That is to say he is not aggressive in putting it into practice and does not take shelter of far-fetched interpretations to justify his own intellectual and religious perversion. This Hadith stresses that a pious old man, a Hamil-ul-Qur'an and a just head of a Muslim government should be respected. Since their respect has been ordained by Allah, respecting them is in fact revering Allah.