وَعُلَمَاءُ السَّلَفِ مِنَ السَّابِقِينَ وَمَنْ بَعْدَهُمْ مِنَ التَّابِعِينَ أَهْلِ الْخَيْرِ وَالْأَثَرِ وَأَهْلِ الْفِقْهِ وَالنَّظَرِ لَا يُذْكَرُونَ إِلَّا بِالْجَمِيلِ
The scholars among the righteous predecessors, the early generations and their followers, people of goodness and transmitted reports, and people of jurisprudence and reasoning are mentioned only with good words.
The righteous predecessors include learned believers of the earliest generations. Their scholarly service and religious contribution are honored through respectful speech.