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"Whoever imitates a people is one of them"

"O miserable one! Where is your intellect taking you? How far will you flee from following the Sunnâh of your Prophet, Muhammad, Sall Allâhu aleyhi wa Salâm, to entacting the manifest signs of your enemies?

How far (have these people) fled from traversing the Straight Path and how close they have come to the way of the misguided devils! (For example) when you perform an action of worship, you (soon) flee from it, looking left and right for a place of refuge! When you traverse the path of knowledge you preoccupy yourself with finding loopholes and concessions under the pretext, 'we are performing taqlid (blindföljande) of the Imâms'" (sid.30)

"How can you bring yourself to imitate a people.. who are but fuel for the fire!? 

If it was said to you, 'imitate an object or ridicule, a laughing stock', you would surely scorn this and become angry. How is it then that you imitate the uncircumcised worshipper of the cross in his celebrations? How is it that you dress your children with new clothes and inculcate a sense of joy in them? How is that you decorate eggs for them, buy incense and celebrate the festivals of you enemy in the same fashion as you celebrate the eid legislated by your Prophet Sall Allâhu aleyhi wa Salâm?

Where would such a practise take you except to the anger of Allâh and His Displeasure? Provided, He does not forgive you that is, and provided that you know that your Prophet Muhammad, Sall Allâhu aleyhi wa Salâm used to encourage differing from the People of the Book in everything that was specific to them" (sid.10)

("Imitating the Disbelievers" av Imâm Adh-Dhahabi (d.748H), Dar-us-Sunnâh Publishers)

Profeten Sall Allâhu aleyhi wa Salâm sade:

"Whoever imitates a people is one of them"

(Abu Dawood, autenticerad av Al-Albâni)

Shayk al Islâm Ibn Taymiyyaah (RahimaUllâh) sade:

"This is the very least indicates that it is Harâm to imitate them, altough the apperent meanings is that one who imitates them is a kâfir (otrogen avfälling).

(Iqtida' al Sirât al-Mustaqeem)