(8) Reported by al-Bukhari 6/447, 7/221, 10/297; Muslim 7/83; Abu Dawud 2/193; al-Nasa’i 2/292; Ibn Majah 2/383; and Ahmad nos. 2209, 2362, 2605, 2944. Some writers attribute it to “the two Sahihs and the compilers of the Sunan,” which mistakenly implies that it is also found in al-Tirmidhi; it is not. Al-Nabulsi likewise does not list it in al-Dhakha’ir, no. 3202. The hadith shows that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, eventually chose to differ from the People of the Book even in matters of hairstyle. Shaykh al-Islam (p. 82) states: “For this reason, parting the hair (*farq*) became a hallmark of the Muslims, and one of the conditions placed on the dhimmis was that they must not part their hair. Similarly, Allah initially prescribed facing Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) in prayer in agreement with the People of the Book; later He abrogated that and commanded facing the Ka‘ba, telling that the Jews and other fools would say: ‘What has turned them away from their qibla which they formerly faced?’ (Quran 2:142).” Al-Hafiz explains in Fath al-Bari that the rationale for first conforming to the People of the Book was that the idol-worshipers were farther from faith than they were, and because the People of the Book still adhered, in general, to a revealed law. The Prophet preferred to agree with them to win their hearts, even if that meant differing from the pagans. Once the surrounding idol-worshipers embraced Islam while the People of the Book persisted in disbelief, the command to differ became directed specifically against the People of the Book.