Saying: The methodology of the Salaf is safer, and the methodology of the Khalaf is more precise

Question:
What is your opinion, Honorable Shaykh, on the saying that the methodology of the Salaf is more just and the methodology of the Khalaf is more precise? Is this correct?

Answer:
They say, "The methodology of the Salaf is safer, and the methodology of the Khalaf is more precise." This is an old saying that the scholars have responded to, and it is contradictory. How can the safer be other than the more precise? The safer is only that which is the more precise. So the way of the Salaf is safer, more knowledgeable, and more precise. As for the way of the Khalaf, it is a way that contradicts the methodology of the Salaf, as is well known. It does not possess the safety that the other possesses; it is not safer, but rather it is exposed to errors. There is no safety from errors except by adhering to the methodology of the Salaf, who are the forefront of the Ummah: the Companions, the Tabi'un, and the blessed generations. These are the ones whose way is safer, more knowledgeable, and more precise. Imam Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) has a treatise on this titled "The Superiority of the Knowledge of the Salaf over the Knowledge of the Khalaf." It is an independent treatise on this matter. Yes.