Our purpose here is not to dwell on the legal details of this particular question. Rather, the point is that ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—likened those who let their garments hang loose (al-sādilīn) to the Jews, thereby indicating the disapproval of their practice. From this it is clear that resembling the Jews was already something the Companions regarded as blameworthy.
The expression fuhar al-Yahūd—with a ḍammah on the fā’—means “their schools.” Its original form is bahar, a Hebrew word that was absorbed into Arabic. Al-Jawharī records it in this way, and the same explanation is given by Ibn Fāris and others: fuhar al-Yahūd denotes their schools. Al-Khalīl ibn Aḥmad likewise states in the Kitāb al-ʿAyn that fuhar al-Yahūd refers to their schools.
We shall soon cite further statements from ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—regarding his dislike of speaking in their language, which supports this point. Concerning the ḥadīth just mentioned that forbids covering the mouth, some scholars have explained it
(1) The printed edition reads: “al-gharad huna” (“the aim here”).
(2) The printed edition reads: “bahru.”
(3) Ismail ibn Hammad al-Jawhari (d. 393 AH/1003 CE), Abu Nasr, was one of the leading lexicographers, renowned for his rare brilliance and elegant handwriting. His works include al-Sihah fi al-lugha—a dictionary that gained wide scholarly acceptance—a treatise on prosody, and a grammatical introduction. See: Lisan al-Mizan 1:400, no. 1258; al-Aʿlam 1:313.
(4) Ahmad ibn Faris ibn Zakariya al-Razi (d. 390 AH/1000 CE), Abu al-Husayn, excelled in several disciplines, especially philology. Among his writings are al-Mujmal and Hilyat al-Fuqahaʾ. See: Wafayat al-Aʿyan 1:118–19, no. 49.
(5) Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi (d. 170 AH/786 CE), Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman, was an authority in grammar and lexicography, the founder of the science of ʿarud (Arabic prosody) and the teacher of Sibawayh. Born in 100 AH/718 CE, he authored Kitab al-ʿAyn and other works. See: al-Aʿlam 2:314.
(6) The particle “an” is absent from MS Aṭ.
(7) MSS J and D read: “ma yuʾayyiduhu” (“what supports it”).
(8) The printed edition has: “Wa-amma ma fi al-hadith … faqad ʿallalah” (“As for what occurs in the hadith … it has been declared defective”).