The People's Return to Allah the Exalted.

The Shaykh : Good, well done. It is said that wisdom lies in the fact that many people have returned to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. They returned to Allah. Why? Because they realized that what befell them was due to their sins. Every calamity that befalls us is due to our sins. The evidence for this is the saying of Allah the Exalted: and His saying: Corruption has appeared on land and sea. The word "corruption" is a general term that encompasses every conceivable form of corruption. For example, drought. By drought, I mean the dryness of the earth and the failure of vegetation to grow; this is a form of corruption. The corruption of the sea, manifested by the death of fish and their washing up on dry land, and the closure of farms, and the like; this is also a form of corruption. The great waves that may destroy ships, ruin wealth, and take lives; this is also a form of corruption. What is its cause? And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said to the noblest of creation when what befell them at Uhud happened to them. Many of you know what happened to the Muslims at Uhud. How many Muslims were martyred in that battle? Seventy men, led by the master of martyrs, Hamzah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) suffered what he suffered: his face was gashed, his front tooth was broken, and he fell into a pit dug by some of the polytheists. They were struck by grief upon grief. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said: What is it that they inflicted upon the brother?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Rest. He is truthful. "What they inflicted" means twice as much, referring to Badr. The Muslims killed seventy men and took seventy prisoners at Badr. If you add seventy to seventy, it becomes one hundred and forty. The Muslims suffered the loss of seventy men at Uhud. So, what they inflicted at Badr was twice what befell them at Uhud. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says: addressing the noblest of creation: So, this calamity that swept through the Middle East is undoubtedly from ourselves, due to injustice, the deviation of some rulers from the Shari'ah, and their adoption of laws and systems that contradict the Shari'ah. And the open sinfulness of some people by disobeying Allah, such as neglecting prayers, following desires, and so on. These matters anger the Creator, Mighty and Majestic. And when Allah, Mighty and Majestic, becomes angry with a people, He will send down upon them a punishment that corresponds to the wisdom. Exactly when this calamity occurred, many people returned to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. We have even heard that some people who had been committing open sinfulness before this disaster began to stand in night prayer and fast two days every week, Monday and Thursday. This is undoubtedly a return. Many people also repented from usury or interest. Many people repented from singing. Many people began to think about their families and started to care for them and treat them well. May Allah except those whose hearts are hard and dead, for they will not benefit, as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: Indeed, among people are those whose hearts are hard; they did not benefit from this admonition and remained in their disobedience of the command of Allah and His Messenger. This is one point.