The Three Categories of Scholars- Shaykh Muhammad bin Saleh Al-Uthaymin

Shaykh al-‘Uthaymīn (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Scholars are of three types: A scholar of the religion (millah), a scholar of the state (dawlah), and a scholar of the people (ummah).”

As for the scholar of the religion (al-millah): he is one who propagates the religion of Islam and issues religious verdicts (fatwas) based on sound Islamic knowledge, without caring whether what the Divine Law (Shar‘) indicates aligns with people’s desires or not.

As for the scholar of the state (al-dawlah): he is one who observes what the state (the government) desires and then issues religious verdicts (fatwas) in accordance with the state’s wishes, even if that involves distorting the texts of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him).

And as for the scholar of the people (al-ummah): he is one who observes what pleases people. If he sees people inclined towards something, he issues a verdict that satisfies them, and then he attempts to distort the texts of the Book (Qur’an) and the Sunnah in order to conform to people’s desires. We ask Allah to make us among the scholars of the religion who act upon it.”

[Sharḥ Riyāḍ aṣ-Ṣāliḥīn, 4: 307,308]