Perople are like mines

النَّاسُ مَعَادِنُ كَمَعَادِنِ الذَّهَبِ وَ الْفِضَّةِ فَمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ أَصْلٌ فَلَهُ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ‌[1] أَصْلٌ.

Abu Abdullah (asws) said: ‘The people are (similar to) a mine, like a mine of gold and that of silver. So they had an origin in the days of ignorance (pre-Islam), so there are (very few) who had an origin in Al-Islam’.