What is the criterion for imitating the disbelievers in light of the hadith: (Whoever imitates a people is one of them)?

The questioner: His EminenceThe Shaykh : I ask you, may Allah reward you with good, to clarify for us the criterion for imitating the disbelievers in light of the hadith: - and may Allah reward you with good -?

The Shaykh : One of the perfections of the Islamic Shari'ah is that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) legislated, through the tongue of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), rulings that obligate every Muslim to preserve his Muslim identity, to maintain his Islamic appearance, and not to adorn himself with the dress of the disbelievers. This adornment and this imitation of the disbelievers indicate the weakness of the imitator on one hand, and the strength of the one being imitated on the other hand. The Muslim is noble and strong. As he (peace be upon him) said: . The strong believer, in his faith and his belief, due to the perfection of his Lord's Shari'ah, cannot adorn himself with the dress of the disbelievers. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it with the strongest prohibition.
Among the famous hadiths in this regard is what Abu Dawud narrated in his "Sunan" in a concise form, and Imam Ahmad in his "Musnad" in its complete form; namely his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): .
: This phrase is what Abu Dawud narrated in his "Sunan," while the hadith in its entirety is in "Musnad Imam Ahmad" as we mentioned. His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): is equivalent to many hadiths in which the Messenger (peace be upon him) places the one who commits a deed in the group of those who are not among the Muslims. As he said, for example, in the hadith in "Sahih Muslim": . So in the first hadith he said: ; meaning: he is not one of us. Therefore, it is not permissible for a Muslim... to adopt clothing that causes him to lose his Muslim identity.
As for clothing, regarding imitation, it varies in strength and weakness. You know, for example, that the trouser which many Muslims are afflicted with today is from the dress of the disbelievers. However, the imitation of this dress is not as strong in its apparent imitation as wearing the cap or the beret. This symbol, which is wearing the cap or the beret, is stronger in losing the Muslim identity and imitating the disbeliever than wearing the trouser. Both are imitation without doubt, but my intention in giving examples is how the types of imitation vary in strength and weakness. The trouser has another calamity besides the apparent imitation, which is that it is tight and restricts the 'awrah. Prayer in it is disliked with a prohibition-based dislike due to the tightness that restricts the buttocks or the thighs. So do not understand from my words that when I said the phenomenon of imitation with the beret is stronger, that the trouser is permissible. No, it is not permissible for two reasons: First, it involves imitation of the disbelievers, and second, it involves restricting the 'awrah as we mentioned. But my purpose is that the strength of imitation with the beret is stronger than the trouser, and the strength of imitation with the trouser is stronger than imitation, for example, of the jacket or the short shirt or the like. The point is that imitation in all its types and categories is something the Muslim should avoid, but the ruling varies between prohibition and dislike.
There are other hadiths in which, or in some of which, a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and greeted him, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: . The prohibition here may be regarding that type of clothing that the Companion was wearing, from the perspective of prohibiting imitation, or from the perspective of opposing the polytheists. Here there is a very important difference from the legal perspective, and there is precision from the practical perspective. The prohibition of imitation, as we mentioned earlier, is regarding clothing that is from the custom, traditions, habits, and attire of the disbelievers; so it is not permissible for the Muslim to imitate those disbelievers. As for opposing the disbelievers, its scope is much wider; that is because opposition may be in something they do not possess, do not affect, and do not strive for. This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indicated in the hadith that al-Bukhari narrated in his "Sahih," where he said (peace and blessings be upon him): . This whiteness of gray hair is something Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has decreed for people, for every individual when he reaches a certain age. There is no difference in that between a Muslim and a disbeliever, nor between a righteous Muslim and a wicked Muslim. Everyone who reaches the age of gray hair will grow gray, whether he wills it or not. Here is the Sunnah of Allah in His creation: . The disbeliever grows gray just as the Muslim grows gray. If the Muslim grows gray, he resembles the disbeliever in appearance, but it is not of his making; rather, it is the making of the Creator (Blessed and Exalted is He). Despite this, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Oppose them and dye your hair; . So in this, there is something added to the command beyond the issue of imitation. The Muslim is commanded not to imitate the disbeliever in what is of his making and in what is of his acquisition. As for his (peace and blessings be upon him) command to oppose the disbelievers, it also includes what is not of their making, such as the gray hair that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has decreed for humans. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded the gray-haired Muslim to intentionally oppose the disbeliever by dyeing his hair, because the disbelievers do not dye. When we know the meaning of imitation and the meaning of opposition, we arrive at a decisive result: the Muslim must preserve his appearance, his dress, and his Muslim identity, and it is not permissible for him to adorn himself with the dress of the disbelievers, whether this adornment is strongly similar or weakly similar; for each has its degree and its ruling.
Yes.