Question 13: Once in an Islaamic lesson, a professor stated that the Khalaf (later scholars) are wiser, while the Salaf (righteous predecessors) are more knowledgeable; is this correct? What is meant by “more knowledgeable” and “wiser”?
Answer: This is a false statement meant to disparage the Salaf of this nation, accuse them of lack of knowledge and wisdom and glorify the scholars of Kalaam (a discipline that searches for answers to creedal issues using logic) for their knowledge and wisdom. Theologians were the first to make this statement. Inferentially, it follows that the successive generations are better and more knowledgeable than the preceding most righteous generations... read more here.