Allah the Exalted has said:
رياض الصالحينAbū Zakariyyā Muḥyī al-Dīn Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī٤٤ - باب توقير العلماء والكبار وأهل الفضل وتقديمهم على غيرهم ورفع مجالسهم وإظهار مرتبتهم
٤٤ - باب توقير العلماء والكبار وأهل الفضل وتقديمهم على غيرهم ورفع مجالسهم وإظهار مرتبتهم
Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?" Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.
- ﵁ - - ﷺ:
On the authority of Abū Masʿūd ʿUqbah ibn ʿAmr al-Badrī al-Anṣārī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The one who leads the people in prayer should be the one most versed among them in the Book of Allah. If they are equal in recitation, then the one most knowledgeable of them in the Sunnah; if they are equal in the Sunnah, then the earliest of them in emigration (hijrah); if they are equal in emigration, then the oldest of them in age. A man must not lead another in prayer within his [the latter's] domain of authority, nor sit in his house upon his seat of honour except with his permission." Narrated by Muslim. In another narration of his: "then the earliest of them in islām (silman)" instead of "in age (sinnan)" — that is, in [accepting] Islam. And in [another] narration: "The one who leads the people should be the one most versed among them in the Book of Allah and the earliest of them in recitation; if their recitation is equal, then let the earliest of them in emigration lead them; if they are equal in emigration, then let the oldest of them in age lead them." What is meant by "his domain of authority (sulṭānihi)" is the place of his jurisdiction, or the spot particular to him; and "his seat of honour (takrimatuhu)" — with a fatḥah on the tāʾ and a kasrah on the rāʾ — is that which is reserved for him alone, such as bedding, a couch, and the like.
وعنه، قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُول الله - ﷺ - يَمْسَحُ مَنَاكِبَنَا في الصَّلاةِ، ويَقُولُ: «اسْتَوُوا وَلاَ تَخْتَلِفُوا، فَتَخْتَلِفَ قُلُوبُكُمْ، لِيَلِني مِنْكُمْ أُولُوا الأحْلاَمِ وَالنُّهَى، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ». رواه مسلم. وقوله - ﷺ: «لِيَلِني» هُوَ بتخفيف النون وليس قبلها ياءٌ، وَرُوِيَ بتشديد النُّون مَعَ يَاءٍ قَبْلَهَا. «وَالنُّهَى»: العُقُولُ. «وَأُولُوا الأحْلام»: هُم البَالِغُونَ، وقَيلَ: أهْلُ الحِلْمِ وَالفَضْلِ.
And on his authority, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to stroke our shoulders in the prayer [to straighten the rows] and say: "Make your rows straight and do not differ, lest your hearts differ. Let those of you who possess maturity and intelligence stand nearest to me, then those who come after them, then those who come after them." Narrated by Muslim. The Prophet's words "liyalinī" are with a light nūn and no yāʾ before it; it has also been related with a doubled nūn together with a yāʾ before it. "al-Nuhā" means the intellects. "Ulū al-aḥlām" are those who have reached maturity; and it is [also] said: the people of forbearance and merit.
وعن عبد الله بن مسعود - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُول الله - ﷺ: «لِيَلِني مِنْكُمْ أُولُوا الأحْلام وَالنُّهَى، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ» ثَلاثًا «وَإيَّاكُمْ وَهَيْشَاتِ الأسْوَاق». رواه مسلم.
On the authority of ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Let those of you who possess maturity and intelligence stand nearest to me, then those who come after them" — [he said this] three times — "and beware of the clamour and disorder of the markets." Narrated by Muslim.
وعن أَبي يَحيَى، وقيل: أَبي محمد سهلِ بن أَبي حَثْمة - بفتح الحاءِ المهملة وإسكان الثاءِ المثلثةِ - الأنصاري - ﵁ - قَالَ: انطَلَقَ عَبدُ اللهِ بنُ سهْلٍ وَمُحَيِّصَة بن مَسْعُود إِلَى خَيْبَرَ وَهِيَ يَومَئذٍ صُلْحٌ، فَتَفَرَّقَا، فَأتَى مُحَيِّصَةُ إِلَى عبدِ اللهِ ابنِ سهل وَهُوَ يَتشَحَّطُ في دَمِهِ قَتِيلًا، فَدَفَنَهُ، ثُمَّ قَدِمَ المَدِينَةَ فَانْطَلَقَ عَبدُ الرحمان ابنُ سهل وَمُحَيِّصَةُ وحوَيِّصَةُ ابْنَا مَسْعُودٍ إِلَى النَّبيّ - ﷺ - فَذَهَبَ عَبدُ الرحمن يَتَكَلَّمُ، فَقَالَ: «كَبِّرْ كَبِّرْ» وَهُوَ أحْدَثُ القَوم، فَسَكَتَ، فَتَكَلَّمَا، فَقَالَ: «أتَحْلِفُونَ وتَسْتَحِقُّونَ قَاتِلَكُمْ؟ ...» وذكر تمام الحديث. مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيهِ. وقوله - ﷺ: «كَبِّرْ كَبِّرْ» معناه: يتكلم الأكبر.
On the authority of Abū Yaḥyā — and it is [also] said: Abū Muḥammad — Sahl ibn Abī Ḥathmah — with a fatḥah on the unpointed ḥāʾ and a sukūn on the three-dotted thāʾ — al-Anṣārī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: ʿAbd Allah ibn Sahl and Muḥayyiṣah ibn Masʿūd set out to Khaybar, which was at that time [under a treaty of] peace, and they parted ways. Then Muḥayyiṣah came upon ʿAbd Allah ibn Sahl as he lay slain, writhing in his blood, so he buried him. He then arrived in Medina, and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Sahl, Muḥayyiṣah, and Ḥuwayyiṣah — the two sons of Masʿūd — set out to the Prophet ﷺ. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān began to speak, but he [the Prophet] said: "Let the elder, let the elder [speak]" — and he was the youngest of the group — so he fell silent, and the [other] two spoke. He [the Prophet] said: "Will you swear an oath and [thereby] establish your claim against your [brother's] killer? ..." — and he related the remainder of the hadith. Agreed upon. The Prophet's words "kabbir, kabbir" mean: let the eldest speak.
وعن جابر - ﵁: أن النَّبيّ - ﷺ - كَانَ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ مِنْ قَتْلَى أُحُد يَعْنِي في القَبْرِ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: «أيُّهُما أكْثَرُ أخذًا للقُرآنِ؟» فَإذَا أُشيرَ لَهُ إِلَى أحَدِهِمَا قَدَّمَهُ في اللَّحْدِ. رواه البخاري.
On the authority of Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet ﷺ used to join two men among those slain at Uḥud — that is, in a single grave — and then ask: "Which of the two had taken more of the Qurʾān?" Then, when one of them was pointed out to him, he would place him first in the laḥd [the niche of the grave]. Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
وعن ابن عمر ﵄: أن النَّبيّ - ﷺ - قَالَ: «أرَانِي فِي المَنَامِ أتَسَوَّكُ بِسِوَاكٍ، فَجَاءنِي رَجُلانِ، أحَدُهُما أكبر مِنَ الآخرِ، فَنَاوَلْتُ السِّوَاكَ الأصْغَرَ، فَقِيلَ لِي: كَبِّرْ، فَدَفَعْتهُ إِلَى الأكْبَرِ مِنْهُمَا». رواه مسلم مسندًا والبخاري تعليقًا.
On the authority of Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both): The Prophet ﷺ said: "I saw myself in a dream cleaning my teeth with a tooth-stick, when two men came to me, one of them older than the other. I handed the tooth-stick to the younger, but I was told: Give precedence to the elder. So I gave it to the older of the two." Narrated by Muslim with a connected chain and by al-Bukhārī in suspended form (taʿlīq).
وعن أَبي موسى - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُول الله - ﷺ: «إنَّ مِنْ إجْلالِ اللهِ تَعَالَى: إكْرَامَ ذِي الشَّيْبَةِ المُسْلِمِ، وَحَامِلِ القُرآنِ غَيْرِ الغَالِي فِيهِ، وَالجَافِي عَنْهُ، وَإكْرَامَ ذِي السُّلْطَانِ المُقْسِط » حديث حسن رواه أَبُو داود.
On the authority of Abū Mūsā (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Part of glorifying Allah the Exalted is to honour the grey-haired Muslim, and the bearer of the Qurʾān who is neither extravagant [in exceeding bounds] with it nor neglectful of it, and to honour the just ruler." A good (ḥasan) hadith narrated by Abū Dāwūd.
وعن عمرو بن شعيب، عن أبيه، عن جده - ﵃ - قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُول الله - ﷺ: «لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَرْحَمْ صَغِيرنَا، وَيَعْرِفْ شَرَفَ كَبيرِنَا». حديث صحيح رواه أَبُو داود والترمذي، وَقالَ الترمذي: «حديث حسن صحيح». وفي رواية أبي داود: «حَقَّ كَبيرِنَا».
On the authority of ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb, from his father, from his grandfather (may Allah be pleased with them), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "He is not of us who does not show mercy to our young and acknowledge the honour due to our elder." A sound (ṣaḥīḥ) hadith narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī; and al-Tirmidhī said: "A good and sound hadith (ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ)." In the narration of Abū Dāwūd: "the right of our elder."
وعن ميمون بن أَبي شَبيب ﵀: أنَّ عائشة ﵂ مَرَّ بِهَا سَائِلٌ، فَأعْطَتْهُ كِسْرَةً، وَمَرَّ بِهَا رَجُلٌ عَلَيهِ ثِيَابٌ وَهَيْئَةٌ، فَأقْعَدَتهُ، فَأكَلَ، فقِيلَ لَهَا في ذلِكَ؟ فقَالتْ: قَالَ رَسُول الله - ﷺ: «أنْزِلُوا النَّاسَ مَنَازِلَهُمْ». رواه أبو داود . لكن قال: ميمون لم يدرك عائشة. وقد ذكره مسلم في أول صحيحه تعليقًا فقال: وذكر عن عائشة ﵂ قالت: أمرنا رسول الله - ﷺ - أن ننزل الناس منازلهم، وَذَكَرَهُ الحَاكِمُ أَبُو عبد الله في كتابه «مَعرِفَة عُلُومِ الحَديث» وَقالَ: «هُوَ حديث صحيح».
On the authority of Maymūn ibn Abī Shabīb (may Allah have mercy on him): A beggar passed by ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her), so she gave him a crust of bread; and a man passed by her who was [well] dressed and of [dignified] appearance, so she seated him and he ate. She was asked about that, and she said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Give people the ranks they merit." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd — but he said: Maymūn did not meet ʿĀʾishah [i.e. the chain is disconnected]. Muslim mentioned it at the beginning of his Ṣaḥīḥ in suspended form, saying: It has been related from ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to give people the ranks they merit. And al-Ḥākim Abū ʿAbd Allah mentioned it in his book "Maʿrifat ʿUlūm al-Ḥadīth" and said: "It is a sound hadith."
وعن ابن عباس ﵄، قَالَ: قَدِمَ عُيَيْنَةُ بنُ حِصْن، فَنَزَلَ عَلَى ابْنِ أخِيهِ الحُرِّ بنِ قَيسٍ، وَكَانَ مِنَ النَّفَرِ الَّذِينَ يُدْنِيهِمْ عُمرُ - ﵁ - وَكَانَ القُرَّاءُ أصْحَاب مَجْلِس عُمَرَ وَمُشاوَرَتِهِ، كُهُولًا كاَنُوا أَوْ شُبَّانًا، فَقَالَ عُيَيْنَةُ لابْنِ أخيهِ: يَا ابْنَ أخِي، لَكَ وَجْهٌ عِنْدَ هَذَا الأمِيرِ، فَاسْتَأذِنْ لِي عَلَيهِ، فاسْتَأذَن له، فَأَذِنَ لَهُ عُمَرُ - ﵁ - فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ قَالَ: هِي يَا ابنَ الخَطَّابِ، فَواللهِ مَا تُعْطِينَا الْجَزْلَ، وَلا تَحْكُمُ فِينَا بالعَدْلِ، فَغَضِبَ عُمَرُ - ﵁ - حَتَّى هَمَّ أَنْ يُوقِعَ بِهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الحُرُّ: يَا أَمِيرَ المُؤْمِنِينَ، إنَّ الله تَعَالَى قَالَ لِنَبيِّهِ - ﷺ: ﴿خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ﴾ [الأعراف: ١٩٩]، وَإنَّ هَذَا مِنَ الجَاهِلِينَ. واللهِ مَا جَاوَزَهاَ عُمَرُ حِينَ تَلاَهَا عليه، وكَانَ وَقَّافًا عِنْدَ كِتَابِ اللهِ تَعَالَى. رواه البخاري.
On the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: ʿUyaynah ibn Ḥiṣn arrived and lodged with his nephew al-Ḥurr ibn Qays, who was among the few whom ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) kept close. The reciters were the members of ʿUmar's council and his consultation, whether they were of mature years or young men. ʿUyaynah said to his nephew: "O my nephew, you have standing with this commander, so seek permission for me [to enter] upon him." So he sought permission for him, and ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) granted him permission. When he entered he said: "Hey, O son of al-Khaṭṭāb! By Allah, you neither give us generously nor judge among us with justice." ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) became so angry that he was about to strike him, but al-Ḥurr said to him: "O Commander of the Believers, Allah the Exalted said to His Prophet ﷺ: 'Take to forgiveness, enjoin what is right, and turn away from the ignorant' [al-Aʿrāf: 199], and this man is one of the ignorant." By Allah, ʿUmar did not go beyond it when he recited it to him, for he was one who halted [in obedience] at the Book of Allah the Exalted. Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
وعن أَبي سعيد سَمُرة بنِ جُندب - ﵁ - قَالَ: لقد كنتُ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُول الله - ﷺ - غُلاَمًا، فَكُنْتُ أَحْفَظُ عَنْهُ، فَمَا يَمْنَعُنِي مِنَ القَوْلِ إلاَّ أنَّ هَاهُنَا رِجَالًا هُمْ أسَنُّ مِنِّي. مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيهِ.
On the authority of Abū Saʿīd Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: In the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ I was [but] a boy, and I used to memorise [hadith] from him; and nothing kept me from speaking except that there were here men who were older than I. Agreed upon.
وعن أنس - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُول الله - ﷺ: «مَا أَكْرَمَ شَابٌّ شَيْخًا لِسِنِّهِ إلاَّ قَيَّضَ اللهُ لَهُ مَنْ يُكْرِمُهُ عِنْدَ سِنِّه». رواه الترمذي، وَقالَ: «حديث غريب».
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "No young man honours an elder on account of his age but that Allah appoints for him someone who will honour him in his old age." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A strange (gharīb) hadith."