"عَنْ أَبِى هُرَيْرَة قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سُنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ بِاتِّباعٍ، وَذِرَاعًا بِذِراعٍ، وَشِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ، حَتَّى دَخَلُوا فِى جُحْرِ ضَبٍّ فَدَخَلَتُمْ فِيهِ، قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ: الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى؟ قَالَ: فَمَنْ إِذَنْ".
See similar narrations below:
Collected by Bukhārī, Muslim, Ibn Mājah, Aḥmad, Ḥākim, Ibn Ḥibbān, Ṭabarānī, SuyūṭīMuslims to take heed from stories of the past nations that they will wrongfully follow the ways of the Jews and the Christians
The Prophet ﷺ said, "You will follow the wrong ways, of your predecessors so completely and literally that if they should go into the hole of a mastigure, you too will go there." We said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Do you mean the Jews and the Christians?" He replied, "Whom else?" (Meaning, of course)
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سَنَنَ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ حَتَّى لَوْ سَلَكُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ لَسَلَكْتُمُوهُ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ فَمَنْ
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
You would tread the same path as was trodden by those before you inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of the lizard, you would follow them in this also. We said: Messenger of Allah, do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words)" those before you"? He said: Who else (than those two religious groups)?
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سَنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا فِي جُحْرِ ضَبٍّ لاَتَّبَعْتُمُوهُمْ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ آلْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ فَمَنْ
“You will most certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, arm’s length by arm’s length, forearm’s length by forearm’s length, hand span by hand span, until even if they entered a hole of a mastigure (lizard) you will enter it too.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said: “Who else?”
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سُنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ بَاعًا بِبَاعٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ وَشِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا فِي جُحْرِ ضَبٍّ لَدَخَلْتُمْ فِيهِ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ فَمَنْ إِذًا
“You will most certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, arm’s length by arm’s length, forearm’s length by forearm’s length, hand span by hand span, until even if they entered a hole of a mastigure (lizard) you will enter it too.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said: “Who else?” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 3994)
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سُنَنَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ بَاعًا بِبَاعٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ وَشِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا فِي جُحْرِ ضَبٍّ لَدَخَلْتُمْ مَعَهُمْ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ فَمَنْ إِذًا
You would tread the same path as was trodden by those before you inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of the lizard, you would follow them in this also. We said: Messenger of Allah, do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words)" those before you"? He said: Who else (than those two religious groups)? (Using translation from Muslim 2669a)
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سَنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ لَتَبِعْتُمُوهُمْ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى؟ قَالَ فَمَنْ؟
You would tread the same path as was trodden by those before you inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of the lizard, you would follow them in this also. We said: Messenger of Allah, do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words)" those before you"? He said: Who else (than those two religious groups)? (Using translation from Muslim 2669a)
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سُنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ لَتَبِعْتُمُوهُمْ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى؟ قَالَ فَمَنْ؟
“You will most certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, arm’s length by arm’s length, forearm’s length by forearm’s length, hand span by hand span, until even if they entered a hole of a mastigure (lizard) you will enter it too.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said: “Who else?” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 3994)
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سَنَنَ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ بَاعًا فَبَاعًا وَذِرَاعًا فَذِرَاعًا وَشِبْرًا فَشِبْرًا حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ لَدَخَلْتُمُوهُ مَعَهُمْ» قَالَ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ «فَمَنْ إِذًا؟»
ذِكْرُ الْبَيَانِ بِأَنَّ قَوْلَهُ ﷺ «سَنَنَ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ» أَرَادَ بِهِ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابَيْنِ
The Prophet ﷺ said, "You will follow the wrong ways, of your predecessors so completely and literally that if they should go into the hole of a mastigure, you too will go there." We said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Do you mean the Jews and the Christians?" He replied, "Whom else?" (Meaning, of course, the Jews and the Christians.) (Using translation from Bukhārī 3456)
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ «لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سَنَنَ الَّذِينَ قَبْلَكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ حَتَّى لَوْ سَلَكُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ لَسَلَكْتُمُوهُ» قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى؟ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «فَمَنْ؟ »
يَحْيَى بْنُ عُثْمَانَ أَظُنُّهُ بَصْرِيٌّ، عَنْ أَبِي حَازِمٍ
“You will most certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, arm’s length by arm’s length, forearm’s length by forearm’s length, hand span by hand span, until even if they entered a hole of a mastigure (lizard) you will enter it too.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said: “Who else?” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 3994)
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سُنَنَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ لَاتَّبَعْتُمُوهُمْ» قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى؟ قَالَ «فَمَنْ إِلَّا الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى»
"لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ شبْرًا بشبْرٍ، وذرَاعًا بِذرَاع، حَتَّى لَوْ سَلَكُوا جُحْر ضَبٍّ لَسَلَكْتمُوهُ، قالُوا: يا رَسُول اللهِ، اليَهُود والنصارى؟ ، قال: فمنَ؟ ".
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