Did the Companions see the idols in the lands they conquered and not demolish them, or did they not come across them?

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Some people mention a doubt, which is that the idols were present in the lands the Companions conquered during their time, yet they did not demolish them. Is this statement correct, or did they not come across them?

Answer:
No, the Sphinx and such things were there, and the pyramids were present, but they were not worshipped in the time of the Companions; they were not being worshipped then, and they are not being worshipped now, but people did not understand. Also, the Companions would demolish mountains, like the mountain of the Sphinx, a great mountain, and they would say they would demolish it. As long as it is not being worshipped and remains only as a remnant of Pharaoh and the Pharaohs, its existence poses no fear. Its existence poses no fear to the creed. Even now, glory be to Allah, they do not worship them. They worship graves, not the pyramids. Yes.