Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
bayhaqi:20349Abū ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥāfiẓ > Abū al-Ḥusayn Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-Qanṭarī > Abū al-Aḥwaṣ al-Qāḍī > Muḥammad b. Kathīr al-Miṣṣīṣī > al-Awzāʿī > ʿAbdah b. Abū Lubābah > Ibn Masʿūd

[Machine] He said, "Verily, a man should not imitate another man's religion. If he believes, then he believes, and if he disbelieves, then he disbelieves. If he insists on imitating, there is no doubt that he should imitate the deceased and leave the living, for verily, the living are not safe from trials."  

البيهقي:٢٠٣٤٩أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ ثنا أَبُو الْحُسَيْنِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْقَنْطَرِيُّ ثنا أَبُو الْأَحْوَصِ الْقَاضِي ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ الْمِصِّيصِيُّ ثنا الْأَوْزَاعِيُّ حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدَةُ بْنُ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ أَنَّ ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ ؓ

قَالُ أَلَا لَا يُقَلِّدَنَّ رَجُلٌ رَجُلًا دِينَهُ فَإِنْ آمَنَ آمَنَ وَإِنْ كَفَرَ كَفَرَ فَإِنْ كَانَ مُقَلِّدًا لَا مَحَالَةَ فَلْيُقَلِّدِ الْمَيِّتَ وَيَتْرُكَ الْحِيَّ فَإِنَّ الْحِيَّ لَا تُؤْمَنُ عَلَيْهِ الْفِتْنَةُ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Ṭabarānī
tabarani:8764Muḥammad b. al-Naḍr al-Azdī > Muʿāwiyah b. ʿAmr > Zāʾidah > al-Aʿmash > Salamah b. Kuhayl > Abū al-Aḥwaṣ > ʿAbdullāh

[Machine] "Do not imitate the religion of anyone among you, for if he believes, he will believe, and if he disbelieves, he will disbelieve. If you are to follow anyone, follow the one who has passed away, for the living are not safe from trials."  

الطبراني:٨٧٦٤حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ النَّضْرِ الْأَزْدِيُّ ثنا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو ثنا زَائِدَةُ عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ كُهَيْلٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْأَحْوَصِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ قَالَ

«لَا يُقَلِّدَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ دِينَهُ رَجُلًا فَإِنْ آمَنَ آمَنَ وَإِنْ كَفَرَ كَفَرَ وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا بُدَّ مُقْتَدِينَ فَاقْتَدُوا بِالْمَيِّتِ فَإِنَّ الْحَيَّ لَا يُؤْمَنُ عَلَيْهِ الْفِتْنَةُ»