The Superiority of Early Precedents and Companion Fatwas
Imam bn al-Qayyim, may Allah Ta’ala have mercy on him, said in I’lam al-Muwaqqi’in ‘an Rabb al-‘Alamin (4/90):
Section: Regarding the permissibility of issuing fatwas based on the reports/narrations of the Salaf and the legal rulings of the Sahabah (Companions), and that they take precedence over the opinions and rulings of later generations.
Their proximity to the truth is directly proportional to how close their proponents were to the era of the Messenger—may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him and his family. The legal rulings of the Companions are more deserving of being adopted than those of “the Successors” (al-Tabi’in), and the rulings of the Successors are more deserving than those of the generation that followed them, and so on. Whenever an era is closer in time to the Messenger, the truth is more prevalent. This is a general rule concerning the category as a whole, rather than applying universally to every single individual matter.
Similarly, while the era of the Successors is superior to the era of those who followed them, this superiority applies to the category as a whole and not to every single individual. However, the virtuous individuals in the earlier era are more numerous than those in the later era, and likewise, the truth found in their statements is more abundant than the truth in the statements of those who came after them. Indeed, the disparity between the knowledge of “the predecessors” (al-mutaqaddimun) and “the successors” (al-muta’akhkhirun) is akin to the disparity between them in virtue and religion.
Source: I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in 'an Rabb al-'Alamin, 4/90