Whilst we celebrate the likes of Belal Muhammad, Khabib and other sports personalities (and rightly so), it’s perhaps important to mention that those deserving of even *more* attention and reverence are two groups: The Scholars and The Mujhaahideen.
I think it’s nice for us to welcome and show respect to Muslim sports personalities. I don’t have an issue with it at all tbh.
But we must not forget that the two groups of people above are those ‘beloved’ to Allah. One are defenders of the faith intellectually and the others physically.
The scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, those who really fear Allah (Qur’an- 35:28). And the Mujahideen are those who sacrifice their lives for Allah. Allah honours the martyrs by placing their souls in the bodies of green birds in Jannah, where they can fly wherever they wish (Sahih Muslim/1887).
An example below is Shaykh Abdul-Aziz Al-Shahaawi who is known as the Shaykh ul-Shaafi’iyah in Egypt. Very old but still teaching nearly every day.
Despite their knowledge and intellectual stature, some of our scholars have very few around them. They may not even be recognised.
My advice is to seek out the scholars in your locality. It’s a great form of respect. They don’t have to be famous or well known. Find them, learn from them and accompany them.
Our love and reverence towards the knowledge which they call us to will be the best investment we make in this world.