The Prophet ﷺ said, "The Hour will not be established till my followers copy the deeds of the previous nations and follow them very closely, span by span, and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch)." It was said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Do you mean by those (nations) the Persians and the Byzantines?" The Prophet said, "Who can it be other than they?"  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ لاَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى تَأْخُذَ أُمَّتِي بِأَخْذِ الْقُرُونِ قَبْلَهَا شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ فَقِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَفَارِسَ وَالرُّومِ فَقَالَ وَمَنِ النَّاسُ إِلاَّ أُولَئِكَ  

The Prophet ﷺ said, "You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure, you would follow them." We said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He said, "Whom else?"  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ لَتَتْبَعُنَّ سَنَنَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ شِبْرًا شِبْرًا وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ تَبِعْتُمُوهُمْ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ فَمَنْ