Within the Hanbalī school two views are recorded. What matters for our present purpose is that he said: “Do not wrap yourselves in the manner of the Jews.” The fact that the forbidden act is expressly linked to the Jews shows that this very linkage is a factor in the prohibition, as has already been noted.
Moreover, among the divine injunctions forbidding us to imitate the People of the Book—and a verse that deserves to head the scriptural proofs—is the Almighty’s saying:
“Has the time not yet come for those who believe that their hearts should humble themselves to the remembrance of Allah and to the truth that has been revealed, and that they should not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and whose hearts became hard after a long lapse of time?” (al-Ḥadīd 57:16).
His words, “and that they should not be like them,” constitute an unqualified ban on resembling them. In particular, it forbids us to imitate them in the hardness of their hearts, and such hardness is one of the fruits of sin.
(1) See al-Insaf, 1:469–70.
(2) The additional phrase is omitted in the printed edition.
(3) MSS J and D read mimma (“of what”).
(4) MSS B and T read: “…of that which our Lord—exalted is He—has forbidden us, namely resembling [the unbelievers], …” and so on.
(5) This is the wording found in all the manuscript copies. The printed edition, however, reads awaʾil al-kitab (“the beginning of the book”). The author apparently intended dalāʾil al-kitab (“the textual proofs from the Qurʾan”): i.e., the evidence previously cited (p. 93) that forbids imitating the unbelievers and the People of the Book; his expression “the beginning of the book” conveys the same idea.
(6) Qurʾan, Surah al-Hadid 57:16; the printed edition reproduces the rest of the verse in full.
(7) The author seems to be alluding to the sense of the verse rather than quoting it verbatim. Accordingly, the printed edition supplies the exact wording: wa-la yakunu kalladhina utu al-kitab (“and let them not be like those who were given the Scripture”).
(8) The sentence beginning with “their imitation, and it is also specifically forbidden…” and everything after it is missing from MS D.