While Islam stresses good relations with people of other faiths, it is also mindful of its distinctive teachings and of the fact that the aim in life of its true followers is not to wallow in worldly comforts. In other words, it does not permit its moral identity and principles to be sacrificed or diluted. It does not allow Muslims to blindly imitate others so that the identity and distinctiveness of Islamic teachings and principles are wiped out. Islam does indeed call for unity and brotherly relations with people of other faiths, but not at the cost of the distinct identity of the Muslims. It cannot allow Muslims to lose their identity by being absorbed into another community.
According to a hadith report, the Prophet warned Muslims against imitating or following the ways of other communities. This issue has been incorrectly understood by some people. The actual import of this hadith is to warn Muslims from adopting or imitating those aspects of the identity of other communities that relate to the latter's religious and social distinctiveness and with regard to which they are completely different from Muslims. It is obvious that a community that imitates or adopts such customs and practices of another community would soon be overwhelmed by the latter and made to feel inferior, and that it would gradually begin to lose its own identity, finally ending up being absorbed into the community whose ways it imitates.
According to the Kanz al-Daqaiq, a text of Hanafi Muslim jurisprudence, Muslims are not forbidden from adopting each and every custom or practice of the People of the Book [Jews, Christians, etc.--YS]. Only those things of theirs are forbidden for Muslims to imitate or adopt that are clearly forbidden (haram) or wrong. Muslims are also not allowed to adopt any practice of theirs with the intention of becoming like them. The same argument was made by Imam Abu Yusuf, the noted Hanafi jurisprudent, as quoted in the Durr ul-Mukhtar, a well-known text on Hanafi law.
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