What is meant by the saying, “Whoever wants to follow a path, let him follow the path of one who has died, for the living are not safe from fitnah”?
Question

                Can you give us the sharh of the saying of Ibn Masood and enlighten us upon this by relating it to our time, whoever wants to follow someone's way, let him follow the ways of someone who has passed away, for a living person is not safe from the fitnah'.
Praise be to Allah.
    The saying referred to is the words of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood 
    (may Allah be pleased with him): “Whoever wants to follow a path, let him 
    follow the path of one who has died, for the living are not safe from 
    fitnah. I mean the Companions of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be 
    upon him). They were the best of this ummah: the purest in heart, the 
    deepest in knowledge and the most straightforward. Allah chose them to 
    accompany His Prophet and establish His religion, so recognise their status 
    and follow in their footsteps and adhere as much as you can to their example 
    of conduct and attitude, for they followed true guidance.” 

    This report was narrated by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in Jaami‘ 
    Bayaan al-‘Ilm wa Fadluhu, 2/947, no. 1810. There is some weakness in 
    its isnaad, but it is a well-known report that appears in many of the books 
    of Ahl as-Sunnah, and its meaning is sound and approved of by them. 

    What is meant by it is that whoever wants to follow a path to 
    his Lord, he should not come up with a path by himself or imitate with 
    regard to matters of religion one among the living who is like him, because 
    he is still alive and he does not know what kind of end Allah will cause him 
    to have. Thus he may find himself following a man in his religious affairs 
    who, even though today he may he following guidance and the Sunnah, may end 
    up following something other than that. The only one who is safe in that 
    regard is one who follows, on his path to his Lord, the way of the righteous 
    early generations of this ummah: the Companions of the Prophet (blessings 
    and peace of Allah be upon them), those who have died and there is no longer 
    any fear that they may fall into fitnah. 

    Imam Nasr ibn Ibraaheem al-Maqdisi (may Allah have mercy on 
    him) said, after narrating this report from Ibn Mas‘ood and Ibn ‘Umar (may 
    Allah be pleased with them): 

    This is what Ibn Mas‘ood and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah 
    be pleased with them) said. Allah (may He be exalted) spoke of them (the 
    Sahaabah) in more than one place and proved that they are above any 
    suspicion. The Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) also 
    spoke of them and instructed us to refer to their example, learn from it and 
    act upon what they said. Even though he knew about what would happen in our 
    time of innovations and conflicting whims and desires, he did not tell us to 
    adhere to anything other than the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Prophet 
    and the way of his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all. And he 
    forbade us to follow anything that has nothing to do that or to follow 
    anyone who goes in a way other than the way followed by his Companions. 

    So we must follow his commands and instructions and heed his 
    prohibitions. 

    This was the way of the scholars and imams in earlier 
    generations, until the time when innovations became widespread. 

    End quote from al-Hujjah ‘ala Taarik al-Mahajjah by 
    Nasr al-Maqdisi, 1/159 

    Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) 
    said: 

    It is very well known to anyone who ponders the Qur’aan and 
    Sunnah and the consensus of all groups among Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah 
    that the best generations of this ummah – in deeds, words, beliefs and all 
    other virtues – is the first generation, then those who came after them, 
    then those who came after them, as is proven in more than one report; they 
    are superior to the later generations in every virtue, be it knowledge, 
    deeds, faith, reason, religious commitment, eloquence or worship. Their view 
    of any problem is more deserving of being followed. This cannot be denied 
    except by the one who would refuse to accept that which is well known in the 
    religion of Islam and whom Allah sends astray despite his knowledge, as 
    ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said. 

    End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 4/157 

    Imam ash-Shaatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    The reports that confirm this idea are many; all of them 
    indicate that one should take them as an example and follow their way in all 
    situations. It is the way of salvation, as was pointed out in the hadeeth 
    that speaks of the division of the ummah, in which the Prophet (blessings 
    and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “… what I and my companions are 
    following.” (i.e., the group that follows this path is the saved group.) 

    End quote from al-I‘tisaam, 3/307. See also Mirqaat 
    al-Mafaateeh by Mullah ‘Ali al-Qaari, 1/374 

    And Allah knows best.