Hadith on being different from The People of the Book:

Question

What is the authenticity of the following narrative? Why were Muslims asked to be different from The People of The Book - is there any context to this narrative?

حدثنا زيد بن يحيى، حدثنا عبد الله بن العلاء بن زبر، حدثني القاسم قال: سمعت أبا أمامة يقول

خرج رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على مشيخة من الأنصار بيض لحاهم فقال: يا معشر الأنصار حمروا وصفروا، وخالفوا أهل الكتاب . قال: فقلنا: يا رسول الله، إن أهل الكتاب يتسرولون ولا يأتزرون فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: تسرولوا وائتزروا وخالفوا أهل الكتاب . قال: فقلنا: يا رسول الله، إن أهل الكتاب يتخففون ولا ينتعلون. قال: فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: فتخففوا وانتعلوا وخالفوا أهل الكتاب . قال: فقلنا: يا رسول الله إن أهل الكتاب يقصون عثانينهم ويوفرون سبالهم. قال: فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: قصوا سبالكم ووفروا عثانينكم وخالفوا أهل الكتاب

^{— Musnad Ahmad}

"According to another narrative of an incident, as reported in Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Umaamah (ra) reports that once the Prophet (pbuh) came upon a group of old people of the Ansaar with beards that were completely white. He said to them: ‘O people of the Ansaar, dye your beards red or yellow and (thus) be different from the people of the Book. [Abu Umaamaah says:] I asked: ‘O Prophet the people of the Book wear [clothes like] pants and avoid wrapping the loincloth, [what should we do?]’. The Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘You should wear [clothes like] pants as well as wrap the loincloth and [thus] be different from the people of the Book’. I asked: ‘O Prophet, the people of the Book walk bare feet and avoid wearing shoes, [what should we do?]’. The Prophet (pbuh) said: You should walk bare foot as well as wear shoes, and [thus] be different from the people of the Book’. Then we asked: ‘O Prophet, the people of the Book keep their beards closely trimmed and let their moustaches grow long, [what should we do?]’. The Prophet said: You should trim your moustaches and let your beards grow and [thus] be different from the people of the Book’."

Answer 1

The isnad is Sahih or Hassan:

رواه أحمد، والطبراني، ورجال أحمد رجال الصحيح خلا القاسم، وهو ثقة، وفيه كلام لا يضر

^{— Haythami}

ولأحمد بسند حسن عن أبي أمامة

^{—Ibn Hajar}

إسناده صحيح. زيد بن يحيى: هو ابن عبيد الخزاعي، والقاسم: هوابن عبد الرحمن الدمشقي

^{—Arnaa’oot}

قلت: وهذا إسناد حسن

^—Al-Albani

Corroboration of parts of the hadith may be found in Bukhari and Muslim, such as:

إن اليهود والنصارى لا يصبغون ، فخالفوهم

The Jews and Christians do not dye their hair so you should do the opposite of what they do

^{— Sahih Bukhari}

جزوا الشوارب وأرخوا اللحى، خالفوا المجوس

Trim the moustache and let the beard grow, differ from the Zoroastrians

^{— Sahih Muslim}

The hadith comes under prohibition of imitation of the Kuffar, in their characteristics or in what they have innovated.