47/3. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2669a — Following Earlier Nations
Following The Ways Of The Jews And Christians
Following Earlier Nations Step by Step
Sahih Muslim : 2669a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2669a
حَدَّثَنِي سُوَيْدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ مَيْسَرَةَ، حَدَّثَنِي زَيْدُ بْنُ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ، بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لَتَتَّبِعُنَّ سَنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا فِي جُحْرِ ضَبٍّ لاَتَّبَعْتُمُوهُمْ " . قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ آلْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ " فَمَنْ " .
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri Narrated from:
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: 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: Allah's Messenger, do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words)" those before you"? He said: Who else (than those two religious groups)?
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2669aIn-book reference : Book 47, Hadith 7USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 34, Hadith 6448
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2669a
This Hadith about following earlier nations gives a strong warning. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said people would follow the path of those before them inch by inch and step by step. He gave the striking example that even if they entered a lizard's hole, they would be followed. When asked whether this meant the Jews and Christians, he replied, who else? The Hadith teaches caution against blind imitation. It does not say every similarity is the same, and it does not list specific practices here. Its clear message is to be alert when copying earlier communities without guidance. For searches like lizard hole Hadith, this is the well-known narration.
What we learn from this hadith
- People may imitate earlier communities very closely.
- Blind following can become extreme and unthinking.
- The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) clearly identified the earlier groups in this narration.
