What is the answer to the one who says: In this Ummah, shirk (associating partners with Allah) is not permissible, based on the hadith (I do not fear for you that you will associate partners with Me after me)

The questioner:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: There are those who claim that major shirk (associating partners with Allah) is not permissible in this Ummah, and that it is free from it, and they cite as evidence the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) . What is the response to such a doubt?

The Shaykh:
The response is clear. Reality proves that it has occurred in this Ummah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the hadith: they will join the worshippers of idols. So shirk (associating partners with Allah) occurs in this Ummah, and it has occurred often. As for his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) , this is a report about Satan that Satan himself has despaired. It does not contain that Allah gave him news that shirk (associating partners with Allah) will not occur in this Ummah. The proofs indicate that shirk (associating partners with Allah) occurs and that apostasy occurs. Apostasy occurred after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Apostasy occurred, and this is a known thing. Apostasy occurs and shirk (associating partners with Allah) occurs often. So this denies reality. This denies reality. The warning of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) from building on graves. His warning from imitating the Jews and the Christians.
Allah did not warn because this thing will happen, and He said: You will surely follow the ways of those who were before you. And among that is the worship of graves. The Messenger informed that it will occur in this Ummah. The one who says that this does not occur is either ignorant or misleading. Yes, in the hadith that was mentioned

The questioner:
He says: .

The Shaykh:
Did not the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) say: The thing I fear most for you is minor shirk (associating partners with Allah)? And he was asked about it, and he said: Riya' (showing off in worship). Did he not fear it for the Companions? And did the Companions not fear it for themselves? The Messenger feared for his Ummah (the Muslim community) regarding shirk (associating partners with Allah). What did Ibrahim al-Khalil (peace be upon him) say? He said: . So no one is safe for himself that he will fall into shirk (associating partners with Allah) and complete himself forever.
And why did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warn from imitating the Jews and the Christians, and warn from building on graves, out of fear of shirk (associating partners with Allah) for the Ummah? Sadd al-dhara'i' (blocking the means to harm) which leads to shirk (associating partners with Allah). Yes.