'Treat people according to their status
Maimun bin Abu Shabib (May Allah have mercy upon him) reported:
A beggar asked 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) for charity and she gave him a piece of bread. Thereafter, one well-dressed person asked her for charity and she invited him to sit down and served him food. When she was asked about the reason for the difference in treatment, she said: "The Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) instructed us: 'Treat people according to their status"
[Abu Dawud]
The believer is wise enough to put everything in its right place and behaves with the light of his insight, so that his transactions is characterized by leniency, he treats people in a friendly way, respects the elders and has mercy on the children, he properly estimates the prestige of people; he behaves politely with the high class people, and do not despise any of the people because of being poor or ugly or even for the low lineage.
This brief commandment is a great rule in terms of giving everyone his due rights.
The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not make distinction between the free people and the slaves in terms of the good cohabitation, nor between the poor and the rich, nor between the strong and the weak, but he used to treat them fairly in his gatherings and in his speech. He used to apply the command of Allah ( interpretation of the meaning )
{ And lower your wing to the believers }
(Quran 15:88)
He seemed to be as if he is an ordinary man.
The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to give the Muslim leaders nicknames that befit each one; he named Abu Bakr the truthful, gave the title of al-Farouq to Omar, the title of thu An-Noreen to Othman, Al-Karrar to Ali, the trustee of the nation to Abu Ubaidah, and named Khalid ibn Al Waleed the sword of Allah.
He praised each man for his good qualities, accordingly the good people of all classes and different ages used to love him.
It is incumbent upon us to adhere to the letters and spirit of this Hadeeth. It is incumbent upon us to raise those whom Allah has raised, such as the scholars and the righteous. We have to respect them, and behave politely with them in all the situations, defend their honors in their absence, supplicate for their sake whenever we hear their names, maintain the ties with those whom they maintain ties with, love those whom they love - as much as we can - for the sake of Allah.
We must follow the example of the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in his treatment of the good and the wicked; so that we treat humbly those who deserve the humbleness, and we treat the haughty in a different way.
