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Referring to the Pious Predecessors (As-Salaf As-Saalih)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

(In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "I have left you upon the shining path, its night is like its day. No one will deviate from it except that he wishes to be destroyed."  (reported by Ahmed and Ibn Maaja)

It is an obvious distinction to every Muslim attentive to the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him), that practicing Islam by referring to the Pious Predecessors (As-Salaf As-Salih), is not in all respects the same as the practice basedon Texts read in light of our personal understanding, regardless of the scientificachievements. In other words, the implementation of religious teachings, the more accurate it may be, is conditioned by that of the first generations of scholars: their understanding and practice is a safe and perfect way.

Indeed, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with all of them) who lived the Revelation of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, which witnessed the implementation of theProphet (peace be upon him), which they practiced themselves by referring explicitly to the prophetic model, have had indeed an opportunity that no one after them could get it. Similarly, the Muslims of the second generation, which is that of Tabi'în (the successors of the Companions) were rewarded by the teaching of the Companions.And so on until the disappearance of the category of people who lived the first three centuries that the Prophet (peace be upon him) qualified to be the most beneficial people:

"The most beneficial people are those of my generations then those who come after them, then those who come after them" (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim)

Thus, this beneficial characteristic, successively taken as a scientific inheritance of offspring to another one of those pious Muslims who have not changed. They cling faithfully to this ancient practice is that of the Salafs.

(from Sheikh AbdElGhani Aoussat حفظه الله تعالى  )