Clarification of the weakness of the narration (The best of the generations is my generation...) and the authentic version (The best of people is my generation...).

The Shaykh : On this occasion, I must pause for a brief interjection. The version of the hadith commonly recited today by lecturers, guides, and preachers is . We do not know this wording at all in the books of the Sunnah, even though this hadith has entered the category of mutawatir hadiths due to their abundance. The correct wording, which appears in the two Sahihs and elsewhere, is . It is not "The best of the generations is my generation," but rather , to the end of the hadith. The point is that a group of Salafis used to seek knowledge in this manner. Seeking knowledge today is not as easy as it was in the early generations, because they received knowledge directly. As for us today, if we want to derive a ruling from the Book of Allah, we must know whether this verse has a connection to certain hadiths that detail what relates to the verse, such as whether the verse is general and may have a specific restrictor, or absolute and may have a qualifier, or the like. We must study the hadiths related to the verse. If we find something of that, we must take another step, which is to verify the authenticity of these hadiths. Finally, once we have verified their authenticity, we must look at the scholars' stance regarding them: did they agree on their meaning, or did they differ? And so on. We need hours, or perhaps many days, to know the truth from what people have differed on. Therefore, seeking knowledge today is not easy, as some suppose. So, what did the students of knowledge who were with us on the line occupy themselves with? They occupied themselves with charitable associations. What is the reason for that? The reason is purely political, because the first aim is to win hearts. As it was said long ago:
"Do good to people, and you will enslave their hearts. As long as a person is enslaved by kindness."
These charitable associations win the masses. And what is beyond that? The reward of Allah in the Hereafter? If only it were so. No, the intention is to accumulate votes when the time for elections comes. This is the path of those who work in party politics and political blocs to reach power through parliaments, which have absolutely nothing to do with Islam. Because the method of elections, as you all know, allows a Muslim to nominate himself just as a disbeliever does. Then, in the electoral system, there is no difference between the righteous Muslim and the wicked one. Indeed, there is no difference between the righteous Muslim and the disbeliever who gets more votes; he is the one who succeeds and becomes a member of parliament. Occupying individuals among the students of knowledge with such matters that win people's hearts by distributing money... and they left the knowledge they were pursuing. And unfortunately, this exists in many countries when political blocs entered and divided not all Muslims, for they were already divided as you know from the hadith of the sects. Rather, party politics divided the single group because they left holding fast to the Book and the Sunnah and occupied themselves with organizations that divided the Muslim community, and they became sects, contrary to the saying of Blessed and Exalted is He: . And I ask Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, to keep our brothers who knew the path of proceeding upon the Book and the Sunnah until the last breath of their lives, until we meet Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and He is pleased with us, if Allah wills. Yes.