years between two ranks.’ There is a consensus and all Fiqĥ books agree that a scholar is superior to a Qurayshī. Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ did not differentiate between a Qurayshī and non-Qurayshī in His book:

ہَلۡ    یَسۡتَوِ ی   ا لَّذِیۡنَ   یَعۡلَمُوۡ نَ   وَ  الَّذِ یۡنَ   لَا   یَعۡلَمُوۡ نَ  ؕ

Are the knowledgeable and the ignorant equal?

[Kanz-ul-Īmān (Translation of Quran)] (Part 23, Sūraĥ Az-Zumar, verse 9)

(Fatāwā Khayriyyaĥ, vol. 2, pp. 234)

A’lā Ḥaḍrat رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه said: I say; we will restrict the definition of a scholar to a ‘practising Islamic scholar’ because he is a true scholar. Heretic scholars [i.e. those who have corrupt beliefs] are worse than ignorant people. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه also said in volume 11, page 714: It is also essential that the scholar must not commonly be perceived as being extremely inferior, e.g. he must not be a weaver, barber, cobbler, leather dyer, and the like. Whether or not a scholar can meet the standard of Kufw depends upon the fact that he is not known as inferior in the locality. Credible scholars have clarified this.

Muḥaqqiq-‘Alal-Iṭlāq said in Fatḥ-ul-Qadīr: Common people considering someone to be inferior, is a determining factor; therefore the verdict will be based on it. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه also stated on page 715: The inferiority of a weaver, barber and cobbler will not vanish due to knowledge. However, if these people left these professions a long time ago and are respected in society and are revered and honoured in the hearts and minds of common people and marrying them to the daughters of dignitaries is not embarrassing, then the verdict will be different.