It is impossible to know whether this number should be taken literally. What we can say is that early medieval Arabia was a rich melting pot for cults and deities. In some cities and regions (notably the region we now call Yemen) there were thriving communities of Arab Jews and Christians. But in many more places pagan polytheism was the norm. Then there were what we might describe as pagan monotheists—believers in a single god who was not the same as the God of Christian or Jewish scripture.
