Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani does not specifically know you to believe that you are more knowledgeable and superior to the Salaf. However, he believes that it is not proven that all the Salaf were more knowledgeable and superior to all the later generations, but rather there is no doubt that some of the later generations are more knowledgeable and superior to some of the Salaf; because many of the Salaf were people of misguidance and disobedience, while many of the later generations are people of piety, and Allah Almighty has said: ﴿إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ﴾[1]; “Indeed, the most honorable among you with Allah is the most pious among you.” Therefore, it is not permissible to accuse someone of error just because he has opposed some of the Salaf in matters of belief or deed; because he may be more knowledgeable and superior to them, unless what he says has never been said by any of the Salaf; because that would be considered an innovation without a doubt; considering that it is impossible for a generation to be devoid of the truth. From here, the ignorance of those who accuse Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani of error in his saying about the Caliphate, based on the claim that it conflicts with the stance held by the Salaf, becomes clear; because it is what a group of the Sahabah said; as one of our companions informed us, he said:

«دَخَلَ عَلَى الْمَنْصُورِ رِجَالٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَذَاهِبِ لِيُنَاظِرُوهُ فِي الْخِلَافَةِ، فَنَاظَرَهُمْ فِيهَا، وَكَانَ مِمَّا قَالَ لَهُمْ: أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ؟! أَلَا تَتُوبُونَ؟! فَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ: قُولُوا: ﴿اللَّهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَنْزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ﴾[2]، فَخَالَفْتُمُوهُ وَقُلْتُمْ: نَحْنُ مَالِكُو الْمُلْكِ، نُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ نَشَاءُ وَنَنْزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ نَشَاءُ، وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا قَوْلًا غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ، فَأَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ رِجْزًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَظْلِمُونَ! فَوَجَدَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: مَا لَكُمْ؟! تَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيَّ نَظَرَ الْمَغْشِيِّ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ! أَفَلَا تَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلِي؟! قَالُوا: لَا، قَالَ: كَذَلِكَ كَانَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ، لَمْ يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، حَتَّى تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ! قَالُوا: نَرَاكَ تَطْعَنُ فِي الصَّحَابَةِ كَمَا يَطْعَنُ الرَّافِضَةُ! قَالَ: وَيْحَكُمْ، لَوْ أَنَّ مَا أَقُولُ طَعْنٌ فِي الصَّحَابَةِ، فَإِنَّ مَا تَقُولُونَ طَعْنٌ فِيهِمْ كَمَا أَقُولُ! قَالُوا: وَكَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟! قَالَ: أَلَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الصَّحَابَةَ كَانُوا فَرِيقَيْنِ: فَرِيقًا يَقُولُونَ مَا أَقُولُ، وَفَرِيقًا يَقُولُونَ مَا تَقُولُونَ؟! فَإِنْ طَعَنْتُ فِي فَرِيقٍ مِنْهُمْ فَقَدْ طَعَنْتُمْ فِي فَرِيقٍ آخَرَ، أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ؟! فَإِنْ كَانَ لَا بُدَّ مِنْ طَعْنٍ فَاطْعَنُوا فِي فَرِيقٍ عَصَوُا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ، وَلَا تَطْعَنُوا فِي فَرِيقٍ أَطَاعُوهُمَا، أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ؟! فَبُهِتَ الْقَوْمُ وَتَأَمَّلُوا طَوِيلًا وَنَظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ، ثُمَّ قَالُوا: وَاللَّهِ مَا كَلَّمَنَا أَحَدٌ بِمِثْلِ مَا كَلَّمْتَنَا بِهِ، وَلَوْ لَا أَنَّا نَخَافُ أَنْ يَقُولَ النَّاسُ تَشَيَّعْنَا لَاتَّبَعْنَاكَ!»; “Some men from various sects came to Mansoor to debate with him about the Caliphate, so he debated with them about it, and one of the things that he said to them was: ‘Do you not fear Allah?! Do you not repent?! Because Allah told you to say: “O Allah! You are the Owner of dominion! You give dominion to whomever You will and take dominion from whomever You will,” then you opposed Him and said: “We are the owner of dominion! We give dominion to whomever we will and take dominion from whomever we will,” while you know (the end of) those who changed the words that they were told to say, so Allah sent down a punishment from the heaven upon them for their wrongdoing!’ Then he saw them looking at him (in astonishment and denial), so he said: ‘What is the matter with you?! You look at me like someone who becomes unconscious on the verge of death! Do you not understand my words?!’ They said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘Those before you were also the same. They did not understand the words of Allah and His Prophet until they became divided and disagreed after clear proofs came to them!’ They said: ‘We see that you too defame the Sahabah, as the rafidah do so!’ He said: ‘Woe to you! If what I say is defaming the Sahabah, then what you say is also defaming them, just like what I say!’ They said: ‘How so?!’ He said: ‘Do you not know that the Sahabah were two groups: a group said what I say, and a group said what you say?! So if I defame a group of them, you too defame another group of them! Will you not use your intellects?! So if there is no choice but to defame, then defame the group that disobeyed Allah and His Prophet, and do not defame the group that obeyed Them! Will you not be mindful?!’ So they were confounded, fell to thinking, and looked at each other, then they said: ‘We swear to Allah, no one had ever spoken to us the way you did, and if we were not afraid that people would say we became Shia, we would follow you!’”[3]

In any case, there is no doubt that the Sahabah, the Tabi’un, and their followers were not infallible from any errors in their beliefs and deeds so that it would not be permissible to oppose any of them in matters of belief or deed. If they were infallible, they would not have disagreed with each other, while they did so greatly, and if it were not permissible to oppose any of them, then they themselves would have been the first disobedient ones because some of them opposed some others! Therefore, it is not permissible to imitate any of them based on the claim that they were more knowledgeable and superior to the later generations. Rather, it is obligatory for every Muslim to follow the Quran and what is proven from the Sunnah in light of the sound intellect, regardless of whether or not it conflicts with a saying or action of some of the Sahabah, and Allah knows best who is best guided.[4]

May Allah grant all Muslims success in abandoning fanaticism and imitation and adhering to the pure and perfect Islam, free from all desires and innovated sects.