Can the worshipers of our time compete with the worshipers of the Salaf in matters of the heart and physical acts of worship?

The greatest of the predecessors cannot be caught up with, and the early generations are generally better. However, some among the later generations may come who approximate them. Sheikh al-Islam clarified that the hadith: "My Ummah is like the rain, it is not known whether its beginning is better or its end," means that among the later generations there are those who resemble and approximate the early generations. This is good news for the later generations. Another hadith states: "The best of my Ummah are its first and its last, and between them is a crookedness or deviation," which confirms the existence of those among the later generations who approximate the predecessors. The goal is to emulate and adhere to the path.