the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (1)

Shaykh al-Islam, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “At the very least, this hadith indicates prohibition, although its apparent meaning entails that one who imitates them has committed disbelief.” (2) Therefore, it is not merely disliked, for we say that the reason for this ruling is that it resembles the Christians’ zunnar, and this entails that it is prohibited, due to the Messenger’s ﷺ statement: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” This does not mean that he is a disbeliever; rather, he is one of them in dress and outward appearance, resembling them in these respects. Thus, one can hardly distinguish between a man who imitates Christians in his appearance and clothing and a Christian himself; he is therefore one of them outwardly.

They also said: Another point is that outward imitation of them leads to inward imitation of them. (376) This is indeed so. When a person imitates them outwardly, he feels that he is in agreement with them and does not dislike them; this then leads him to imitate them inwardly, and he becomes a loser in both his religion and his worldly life. Thus, the author’s restriction of the ruling on what resembles tying the zunnar to mere disapproval is open to objection. The correct view is that it is prohibited.

If someone were to say, “But I did not intend to imitate them,” we would reply: Imitation does not require intention, because imitation consists of resemblance in form and appearance. Once that resemblance occurs, it is imitation, whether one intended it or not. However, if one did intend it, it is more severe and graver, because such an intention means that he did it out of love, veneration, and esteem for what they follow. Thus, we forbid anyone whom we find imitating them in