# Why did people in the past convert to new religions so readily?

*How people in the past took on religion: identity, and openness to new gods*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/_dsmpiar0bm/s/2/
- Date: 2019-12-16 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: A Response to Yasir Qadhi: "Islam was spread by the sword" | Mufti Abu Layth (3:11–8:15)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dSMPIAR0BM&t=191s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/_dsmpiar0bm/

**Topics:** Orthodoxy and how Islam spread; Exchanges with Yasir Qadhi

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** People in the past were far more open to new gods than we are, adopting them in hope of good luck, so judging their conversions by today's identity-bound religion misleads.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says people in the past were much more open to new gods and welcomed them if they felt they would bring them good luck.

**Evidence, his words at 6:58:** “but in the past they actually did think like that so people were quite welcoming for other gods if they felt it would bring them good luck” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dSMPIAR0BM&t=418s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says that to understand how people in the past embraced religion one has to leave the twenty-first-century frame of mind, which is more liberal but more insecure about identity: national identities such as British, Pakistani or Egyptian were once descriptions rather than an integral part of who people were, and religion was similar for much of the world. He says people in the past were much more open to new gods, citing the Romans, who incorporated the Greek gods and the gods of the lands they conquered, and the Roman ruler who was bewildered to find no image in the Temple of Jerusalem. He says people sought new gods in the hope of better luck and prosperity, pointing to the Vikings as shown in a television series and to India, where he says 'Hinduism' is a British label for many peoples worshipping different deities. Because religion today has become an issue of identity, he says, we find this way of thinking strange.

## Sources and names cited

- Roman Empire
- Hinduism

## Transcript (machine tier, 3:11–8:15)

[2:32] think about this now the truth is that that's that that is no way the case it isn't simply not true now I'm not saying that there was never compulsion I'm sure there was compulsion in certain places it would have been wrong but I'm sure there was I mean just like in any other human society you're going to get good politics bad politics you're going to get things but that was never the case and I think it's not you know the questions that are being asked like yes of Carly says oh the stories they tell you in Sunday school by traders they

[3:11] embraced Islam huh yeah right he says Malaysia you think Malaysia embraced by trip right so right the truth is that look people and you've got to understand something to understand how people in the past embraced religion you have to you have to try to take yourself out of your mind frame and view into the minds of other people now what you're doing is you're

[3:49] placing your mind 21st century mind in people back then now you might think well actually 21st century is much more liberal it is much more liberal however however 21st century is also much more insecure on several other things so you see on especially on identity identity today and in our recent past has become a huge salient feature of Homo sapiens like how we identify us

[4:27] I and nature I belong to this country I am British for example I am Pakistani I am this I am that I'm Egyptian or I'm Saudi or these things did not even exist nobody people in the past wouldn't define themselves like that not as an identity I mean as a description yeah they would say yes I'm from southern Egypt for example or I'm from this part of the world but it wasn't like a kind of integral part of the identity makeup the way it is today and religion you see

[5:06] you have to understand was a similar thing for huge parts of the world you see people in the past were much more open to new the concept of new gods you have to you see it's you are too you've got too many blinkers on if you think otherwise take a look at the empires like take a look at like the Roman empires every Roman Empire every time they took over something they incorporated the gods into their into their Pantheon some all the Greek gods are kind of subsumed by the Roman

[5:43] culture when the Romans went into you know when they've gone into the Middle East they've subsumed their gods and it's because in fact when they've taken over the temple edge of Jerusalem this was you know the Emperor this was the thing he he couldn't make any sense of he was like but where's the god he's like this is the temple but there's nothing here so he was actually so bewildered that what are they worshipping so people in the past were always looking for gods of new because they felt that the new gods might bring

[6:20] better luck to them so if you watch things like for example the Vikings or things like that they were always intrigued that hey Dee and so even in the TV series they highlight that that all when they come across England and one of the Vikings is telling the other Vikings this is what he says he says they have new gods they have a different God and they God does this and they got and people were intrigued by that in the past do you see today because our narrative has come off religion and religion is simply an identity rien issue now we don't think in that way therefore we

[6:58] find it strange that people would think like that but in the past they actually did think like that so people were quite welcoming for other gods if they felt it would bring them good luck and it would kind of like they think oh wow maybe this will bring prosperity to us take a look at places like India India I mean Hinduism is an island this is just a term given to it by by the British but it was actually just so many different people and regions just worshipping different things these people worshipping Shiva you know worshipping Durga worshipping

[7:36] you know Brahm worshipping whatever you some people even worship our oven you know the devil I mean if I can call him that in in the the anti-hero from there a Mayan now how did this happen because people felt it worked for them another feature that you have to throw in is that because of where the Middle East was placed it was bang in the middle of the Silk Road of the Silk Roads now all trade throughout the world whether you want to bring it down from China into Africa down from China into

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment _dSMPIAR0BM/s/2. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/_dsmpiar0bm/s/2/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.