The Shaykh’s warning about some of the calamities of the later generations, among which is that they reversed the understanding of many texts.

The Shaykh : Among the calamities of the later generations is that they reversed the understanding of many texts. For example, Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: This verse is explicit in excluding those who differ from mercy and excluding those who agree from difference, because the nature of difference is moving away from mercy, and the nature of agreement is moving closer to mercy. This verse is explicit: meaning that those whom Allah, the Exalted, has shown mercy to do not differ. So what is the matter with us, the later generations, who differ to the greatest extent? And it is not only this; rather, we turned the verse upside down. The verse says: they do not differ, but we, the later generations, say and fabricate against the Messenger that he said: "The difference of my Ummah is a mercy". Allah says: So the ones shown mercy do not differ, yet they narrate from the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, that he said: "The difference of my Ummah is a mercy". This hadith is not spoken by the ignorant of the Muslims or by the students of knowledge among them, but it is spoken by those who are called doctors, and it is written and published by many Islamic writers. The goal behind this is to blur and waste this difference in which the Muslims have fallen, and to make the Muslims understand that the Muslims are in a very good state because their number reaches eight hundred million Muslims. So they turn this reality upside down with this hadith which has no basis, contradicting the previous text of the Noble Qur'an: and ignoring many, and very many, hadiths that indicate that the state of the Muslims today is not at all good. How can it be that some of their sacred lands have been occupied by a small group of the most abased people on earth? How can the Muslims be in a good state when you have heard the previous hadith: This is the humiliation imposed upon us; it will not be removed from you until you return to your religion. Returning to the religion necessitates warning the Muslims and explaining the reality of the Muslims, the painful reality of the Muslims, whether from the aspect of belief, or the aspect of morals, or the aspect of worship, or from all the aspects that Islam brought. We must explain this to the Muslims and that their state is not a pleasant one, even if some people are ignorant of it. The reality must be pointed out to them, but through the guidance of the guides and the direction of the directors among them... and reminding them that numbers have no value, contrary to the boasting of some Islamic writers that the number of Muslims is large and very large. Until one of their famous writers, from those who did not follow the methodology of the pious predecessors, said a word which is in reality a good warning, but it is not the cure. He said: If the Muslims, by the largeness of their number, had spit at the colonizers, they would have destroyed them by the largeness of the number of Muslims. If they had fought them by spitting in their faces, they would have destroyed them. But Allah, the Exalted, has placed a verse in the Qur'an which He made a methodology for the reform of the Muslims, and that is by reforming what is in their hearts: That hadith which indicates that numbers do not benefit much is his saying, may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him: Therefore, we say the cure for the Muslims today is in two matters, summarizing what has preceded and adding to what came before. The two words are: it is necessary to have purification, and this is what I mentioned earlier with some explanation and clarification based on the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the pious predecessors. This purification is necessary. Then, it is necessary that this purification be accompanied by the upbringing of the Muslims themselves, their children, and their relatives on the Book and the Sunnah, on the methodology of the pious predecessors. And the day a group of Muslims agrees on these two words, purification and upbringing, on that day the believers will rejoice in the victory of Allah. And we ask Allah, the Exalted, to inspire us to return to the Book and the Sunnah, and the authentic Sunnah, and on the methodology of the pious predecessors.
And now, having felt in my previous speech that many of our brothers have numerous questions, it is necessary to make room for whoever has a question to ask, and Professor al-Banna will, if Allah wills, handle the questions so that we avoid confusion and disorder.