Hadith 50

Sahih Bukhari

Book 96: Holding Fast to the Qur'an and Sunnah

Chapter 14

“Certainly you will follow the ways of those who were before you.”

باب قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ لَتَتْبَعُنَّ سَنَنَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ ‏"‏

Sahih al-Bukhari 7320
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عُمَرَ الصَّنْعَانِيُّ ـ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ ـ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ لَتَتْبَعُنَّ سَنَنَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ شِبْرًا شِبْرًا وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ، حَتَّى لَوْ دَخَلُوا جُحْرَ ضَبٍّ تَبِعْتُمُوهُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى قَالَ ‏"‏ فَمَنْ ‏"‏‏.‏
Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri:

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 Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He said, "Whom else?"