It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You will certainly, certainly follow the ways of those before you, just as one span matches another span, and one cubit matches another cubit, so much so that if they entered the hole of a lizard, you would follow them into it." We said: "O Messenger of Allah! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Who else?"

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) also narrated a similar hadith, except that after «وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ» these words are included: "And span by span, until if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would surely enter it as well." The Companions asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Who are these people, are they the People of the Book?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Who else (could they be)?"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“By Him in Whose hand is my soul! You will surely follow the ways of those before you exactly.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The evil ones of this Ummah will follow the ways of the people before them just as one prepared arrow matches another arrow."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Waqid Al-Laithi (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: We set out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) from Makkah Mukarramah towards Hunayn. The disbelievers had a lote tree; they used to stay near it and hang their weapons on it (and would sit around it as devotees). This lote tree was called Dhat Anwat. When we passed by a large green lote tree, we said: "O Messenger of Allah! Make for us a Dhat Anwat as they have a Dhat Anwat." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose hand is my soul! You have said just as the people of Musa (peace be upon him) said," as Allah the Exalted has said: «اِجْعَلْ لَنَآ اِلٰہًا کَمَا لَہُمْ اٰلِہَۃٌ» (O Musa! Make for us a god just as they have gods.) He said: Indeed, you are a people behaving ignorantly. (Al-A'raf: 138) These are different ways, but surely you will follow the ways of those before you, step by step, one by one.

(Second chain) A similar hadith is narrated, however, in this it is mentioned: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: «اللّٰہُ أَکْبَرُ» This is exactly what the Children of Israel said to Musa (peace be upon him), as Allah Almighty has said: «اِجْعَلْ لَنَآ اِلٰہًا کَمَا لَہُمْ اٰلِہَۃٌ» (O Musa! Appoint for us a god just as they have gods.) He said: Indeed, you are a people behaving ignorantly. (Al-A'raf: 138) Surely, you will follow the ways of those before you.