You said that it is obligatory for us to follow the Book and the Sunnah according to the understanding of the righteous Salaf, but there are some people who say

The questioner : And there are some new questions, which in summary revolve around the point, O honorable Shaykh, that you said we must follow the Book and the Sunnah, but there are some people who say that, well, what do we have to do with the Companions? They were men, and we are men, and they differed among themselves, so how can we refer to them when they differ among themselves on multiple matters?

The Shaykh : I indicated in my previous speech that if the Companions were on a single interpretation, it is not permissible to deviate from them. But if, as the questioner asked, the Companions themselves differed, then it is obligatory for the scholars to verify a text from the texts of the Noble Book, namely the saying of Blessed and Exalted is He: Our previous discussion was—O our brothers, you must understand well the advice and knowledge we present to you—we say that any that the exegetes of old, the Companions, the Tabi'un, and the mujtahid imams interpreted, and upon which they based some jurisprudential rulings, was understood to mean jihad in the path of Allah. Another opinion of Imam Ahmad is that it also includes Hajj in the path of Allah. No one among the Companions contradicted this at all. Therefore, this question does not apply to what we are discussing; it may apply elsewhere. The answer is that if they differed, then yes, at that time we are men and they were men. But what is the weight in knowledge of the one who says "we are men"? Is he the one we said issues fatwas based on what Allah said and what the Messenger of Allah said, studies the statements of the Salaf, and knows that there are two opinions on this issue, or that there is only one opinion? If so, it may be permissible for a person to say, "They were men and we are men." And if this contains some self-praise, which is of course prohibited by the Shari'ah, but in any case, if he does not say it with his tongue, he may say it with his state. Who is permitted to say about himself in his state, "We are men," and when is it permissible for him to say, "We are men just as they were men"? The answer is: First, it is permissible for a later scholar to say, "The Companions were men, and we are men," if he follows their path, their course, and their methodology, in that he does not issue fatwas based on personal opinion, but only on what came in the Book and the Sunnah. If the one who says "they were men and we are men" follows the methodology followed by those men, it is permissible for him to say, even in his state, "We are men and they were men."
This is the first point. And second, when does he say this? He says this if they differed. But if they agreed, then he is not a man; rather, saying "we are men" is proof that he is not among the men, because Allah, Mighty and Majestic, mentioned in the previous verse, which I cited as evidence that no one today may come with a new interpretation of a text from the old Qur'an of Allah that was previously interpreted in a certain way, that it is not permissible for us now to interpret this text with a new interpretation that has not been preceded.
This would be deviating from what those Companions were upon, and there the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and the saying of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, would be realized. As for the saying of Allah, it is the previous verse: Why did Allah, Mighty and Majestic, mention in this verse ? Why was the verse not "And whoever opposes the Messenger after the clear proof of the guidance to him has become apparent, and follows other than the way of the believers, We will turn him over to what he has turned to, and We will admit him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination"? Why did He add this clause conjoined to the Messenger, saying ? That is for what we mentioned earlier: the Companions who received the knowledge, namely the Qur'an and the Hadith, directly from the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, were the most understanding of people in intellect, the purest of people in hearts, and the most noble of people in souls. Therefore, they were the first to apply the rulings of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, however severe they were on the self, especially if they were newly converted to Islam. These Companions are the ones who received the Qur'an and the Sunnah, understood them, and applied them. If we come at the end of time and contradict them in their understanding and their practice, that verse applies to us: and we will have followed a way other than the way of the believers. The example is now before you: if there is no one among the Salaf who said that includes all charitable projects, then the meaning of the one who issues a fatwa and interprets the verse with this generality is that he has contradicted the way of the believers. But if they differed, as mentioned in the question, then at that time we have a second answer, which is also stated in the Noble Qur'an: Yes.
And a new problem today is that many people know that there is indeed disagreement on the issue, so how do they adopt an opinion and prefer it over another? Not by relying on this divine command and executing it: They do not refer to Allah and the Messenger. And the meaning of the verse, as is known to everyone, is referring to the Book of Allah and the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
So to what do they refer? By Allah, this is the easiest, this is the best, and this means encouraging people to hold fast to the religion. Is this the command of the Lord of the Worlds in the verse? No: So whoever does not refer to this reference, there is an indication in the verse that there is confusion in his heart and weakness in his faith. Therefore, we, all Muslims, in the two categories mentioned earlier: if one is truly among the scholars, his path is to refer to the Book of Allah, the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, and what the Companions of the Messenger of Allah agreed upon. If they dispute, he refers to the Book of Allah and the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah by the ruling of this verse. And if one is among the general people, not among the scholars, the previously mentioned verse applies: Who are the people of knowledge? We know clearly, as Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Knowledge is what Allah said and what His Messenger said". The people of knowledge are the people of knowledge of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. As for this question, it is about what they disputed. The Companions disputed a lot on some branch issues, and they did not differ, praise be to Allah, on anything in creed, unlike the later generations. So when they disputed, the Muslim scholars, especially the mujtahids among them, referred to the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and each of them preferred what became clear to him as the stronger position.
So I hope that the matter does not become confused for any of the attendees between the obligation of following the Companions in what they agreed upon and not deviating from them with a new opinion, and the case where they differed, in which case we say, or they say, "They were men and we are men," with the previous condition that they refer to the Book of Allah and the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.