The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: "And they persisted in the great sin"

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, what is the meaning of the saying "And they persisted in the great sin"?

Answer:
This is like shirk (associating partners with Allah). Before that, they were living in luxury, immersed in luxury and preoccupied with the world to the neglect of worshipping Allah (Mighty and Majestic), giving their souls whatever they desired. And that is shirk (associating partners with Allah). The messengers called them to tawhid (the oneness of Allah), singling out Allah for worship and abandoning shirk, but they persisted and were arrogant in their arrogance. This is the persistence. So if they die upon that, may Allah protect us from it, then they are the ones whom Allah referred to in His saying "And they persisted," meaning in this world, upon shirk and did not repent from it.
And this, may Allah protect us from it, is the reality of many of the worshippers of graves among the Jews. They are warned and make vows, but they do not respond. So they are like the people of Noah and like the polytheists in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Do not obey the messengers.
And do not obey the callers to Allah if they explain to you that this is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). You continue, saying, "This is what you found your fathers upon, and you found this to be a tested matter, and that they fulfill their needs," and you do not look to the Qur'an and the Sunnah, but you remain upon shirk despite it being explained to you and clarified to you, and you being warned. So you persisted in the great sin, may Allah protect us from it. This is specific to the previous nations; this is general for everyone who persists in shirk and refuses to abandon it after being warned and it being explained to him. Yes.