Religion Of Kings

Imam Ibn Kathir says:

والناس يقولون الناس على دين مليكهم

‘𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆: 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.’

[‘Al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah’, 5/177].

The people adapt to the ways of those who rule over them.

This is one of the reasons why the Hanafi madhab became so widespread. It had government backing.

The Hanbali fuqaha were mostly anti governments, so their madhab remained small and marginalised.

Many madhabs died out – partly because they lacked backing.

The money, power and authority of governments behind ideologies pushes them like a propeller.

If good people were to stay out of politics, they will remain like those preachers shouting at speakers-corners or in town-centres …. with very little influence in society. People will walk past them and not pay them any attention.

But if they entered politics and engaged with governance, they could reform the society on a much larger scale.