Notes

The Ikhwanī Muḥammad Hassan says:
Why do you spend all of you time in a lecture or khutbah talking about the shirk of grave worship? Why? You could warn them once and then talk about it in general. But, you should not spend your whole time [in a lecture/khutbah] speaking about something which you have nothing to do with.

Questioner:

[This questioner] says: Ahsan Allāhu ilaykum, I have heard one of them say: "Why do you spend all of your time in a lecture or khutbah talking about the shirk of grave-worship and what is the need for it? You could just remind them once generally but it's not befitting to spend the whole lecture speaking about a matter that has nothing to do with you." What is your opinion?

Al-'Allāmah Sāliḥ al-Fawzān:

This is misguidance. This is misguidance. This is arousing hatred to call towards to Tauhid and warning against shirk. How long did the messenger, alayhi salatu wa salam, stay in Makkah to call towards Tawhīd? Did he not stay there for 13 years? He called to Tawhīd even before he was ordered with the prayer, zakat, fasting and hajj. He remained upon the call to Tawhīd all of this time. And nobody rejects this except a hypocrite or a disbeliever. We ask Allah for safety. It is a must to call towards Tawhīd. It is a must to warn against shirk whether it be in lectures, Friday sermons, or talks, this is must. This is the foundation that all the messengers called to.

"And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) but We revealed to him (saying): La ilaha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)."

The Prophet, sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam said to Mu'adh when he send him to Yemen:
"You are going to a nation from the people of the Scripture, so let the first thing to which you will invite them, the testification that nothing has the right to be worshipped in truth except Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. If they obey you in that, tell them that Allah has enjoined on them five prayers to be offered..." up until the end of the hadīth.

This is because there is no benefit in prayer or the rest of the actions if shirk is present. Ash-Shirk destroys your actions But if they had joined in worship others with Allah, all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them. (Al-An'am 6:88). No action is accepted with shirk. So it is obligatory to concentrate on the Aqīdah and to clarify the correct Aqīdah and clarify its nullifiers such as shirk with Allah, this is a must.