to withstand them or prevail over them in argument. That was an error of judgment, a loss, and a deception from Satan. Allah is the One whose help is sought.”

[Ibn Taymiyyah’s Commentary]

I say:

It is just as Abū Sulaymān said. The early generations possessed greater intellects, deeper understanding, sharper minds, and subtler perception. As ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd said:

“Whoever among you wishes to follow an example should follow those who have died, for the living are not safe from being put to trial. Those were the Companions of Muhammad: the purest in heart of this community, the deepest in knowledge, and the least given to affectation. They were people whom Allah chose to accompany His Prophet and establish His religion. So acknowledge their due, hold fast to their guidance, for they followed the straight path.”

It has been established through mass-transmitted reports from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that:

“The best generation of the community is the generation among whom he was sent, then those who follow them, then those who follow them.”

The greatest virtues are knowledge and faith. By the consensus of the scholars of this community, those early generations were its most knowledgeable members. They did not abandon the blameworthy, innovated methods because they were incapable of pursuing them. Rather, they were, as ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz said:

“Better able to uncover the truth of matters and, had there been any good in those matters, more likely to attain it.”