—namely, whatever they crave: the outward practices of the polytheists that are integral to their false religion and all that follows from it. They delight in those practices, and to conform to them is simply to pursue what they desire.

Allah the Exalted also says, “Has the time not come for those who believe that their hearts should humble themselves to the remembrance of Allah and to the truth that has been sent down, and that they should not be like those who were given the Scripture before? The term was prolonged for them, so their hearts grew hard, and many of them are defiantly disobedient” (Al-Hadid 57:16).

His words “and that they should not be” constitute an unrestricted prohibition against resembling them. Ibn Kathir commented, “For this reason Allah forbade the believers to imitate them in any matter, whether fundamental or secondary.”

Refraining from imitating the disbelievers in their deeds, their speech, and their whims is one of the objectives established by the Noble Quran, clarified and detailed by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and applied across numerous branches of the law: prayer, funeral rites, fasting, food, dress and adornment, manners, social customs, and much else.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “He is not one of us who adopts the way (sunnah) of others.” [Hasan]

So evident was this principle that even the Jews living in the Prophet’s city recognised it, sensing that he ﷺ took care to differ from them in all their affairs.