Sahih Bukhari 3197: Following Previous Nations Explained
Some deceivers quote the hadith about this Ummah following the ways of the Jews and Christians as if it is an attack against the Companions. This is another weak distortion. The Prophet ﷺ was giving a prophecy about what would happen later in the Ummah, not accusing the noble Companions who followed none but the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The Hadith of Following Previous Nations
“You will follow the ways of those before you, inch by inch and cubit by cubit, to the point that if they entered the hole of a lizard, you would enter it.”
We said:
“O Messenger of God, the Jews and the Christians?”
He said:
“Then who else?”
Source: Sahih Al-Bukhari
Book: Hadiths of the Prophets
Chapter: What was mentioned about the Children of Israel
Hadith no.: 3197
Reference links:
http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/Display.asp?hnum=3197&doc=0
http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/Display.asp?hnum=6774&doc=0
First Response: This Is a Prophetic Prophecy
This is a prophetic prophecy that tells of what would happen after him, and it occurred exactly as he foretold. So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was truthful.
Nor does he speak from his own inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.
The hadith is therefore evidence for the truthfulness of the Prophet ﷺ, not evidence against him or his Companions.
Second Response: The Address Is to the Ummah, Not Specifically to the Companions
The Prophet ﷺ was addressing his nation, not the Companions in particular.
Rather, history has proven that the entire world followed the ways of previous nations in corruption, imitation, religious distortion, and social decline, while the Companions followed none but the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The Companions are not the target of this condemnation. They are the standard from which later generations deviated.
The deceiver’s mistake is basic: he confuses a warning to the Ummah with an accusation against the first generation. But a prophecy about later imitation of Jews and Christians does not mean the Companions themselves were guilty of that imitation.
Third Response: Refer to the Previous Refutation
Refer to our response to doubt No. 24.
The same principle applies here: whenever the Prophet ﷺ addresses the Ummah about later deviation, it does not automatically mean the Companions are being condemned. The Companions were the transmitters of the warning, not the object of the accusation.
The hadith about following the Jews and Christians is not an attack on the Companions. It is a prophecy about later members of the Ummah imitating previous nations in their errors. The Companions followed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, preserved his guidance, and transmitted this warning so later Muslims could recognize and resist such deviation. The forger has once again brought a narration that proves the Prophet’s truthfulness, not his accusation.