Aslam

Praise be to Allah.

One of the things that are established by the scholars is

that shirk will take place in the ummah as is indicated by the sound

texts, and reality confirms this.

Many of the Arabs apostatized after the death of the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and many of them went back

to worshipping idols.

The mujaddid (renewer of the Faith) Muhammad ibn ‘Abd

al-Wahhaab said: “Chapter: Reports that some of this ummah will worship

idols”, then he mentioned some ahaadeeth which indicate that.

With regard to the hadeeth: “The Shaytaan has despaired of

ever being worshipped…” the scholars have interpreted it in several ways:

1 – That the Shaytaan has despaired of ever getting all

worshippers to unite on kufr.

This view was favoured by the great scholar Ibn Rajab

al-Hanbali. Al-Darar al-Sunnah, 12/117.

2 – That this is a report

of the despair that befell the Shaytaan when he saw the conquests and how

the people entered the religion of Allaah in crowds. So the hadeeth is

telling us what the Shaytaan thought and he expected to happen. Then what

really happened was something other than that, for a reason decreed by

Allaah.

This view was favoured by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah

have mercy on him). Al-Qawl al-Mufeed, 1/211.

3 – That the Shaytaan

despaired of the believers whose faith is complete, because the Shaytaan has

no hope that they will worship him.

This view was favoured by al-Aloosi. See Da’aawa

al-Munaawi’een, 224.

4 – That the “al-” in the word “al-musalloon” (worshippers)

refers to a specific group of worshippers, and that what is meant is the

Sahaabah.

All of these interpretations are close in meaning, and the

most likely is the second. And Allaah knows best.

See Ahaadeeth al-‘Aqeedah allati yuwahham Zaahiruha

al-Ta’aarud fi’l-Saheehayn, 2/232-238 .