Following the Lizard
“This is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way. This He has instructed you so that you may become righteous [6:153]”
Rasulullah ﷺ said: “You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you hand span by hand span, cubit by cubit, to the extent that if they enter the hole of a lizard, you will enter it too.’ We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?’ He said: ‘Who else?’” [Bukhari & Muslim]
Rasulullah ﷺ said Whoever imitates another nation is amongst them. (Abu Dawud)
What is it about the lizard’s / mastigure’s hole that the Prophet makes it a reference in this hadith. Well a scholar made the following observation:
“I researched the matter extensively, until I watched a video of brothers from the Arabian Peninsula hunting a mastigure lizard. Here was the surprise! I found them hunting the lizard by filling its burrow with dense water. It is then forced to come out, and they immediately capture it.
This is because the lizard creates only one opening for its burrow, unlike some animals that make multiple openings for ventilation and maneuver to escape from predators. So, its burrow becomes a trap, lethal for those inside. If someone were to close one of these openings, the lizard wouldn’t be able to exit and would die buried inside. Alternatively, if it were flooded with water, it would be compelled to come out.
Experts in the animal field have determined that the lizard’s burrow combines extreme filth and tightness; there is no attractiveness that lures anyone to enter it.
It’s as if the Prophet, peace be upon him, wants to tell us: “You will follow the ways and actions of the disbelievers, walking in their footsteps step by step, even when their ugliness and true nature become clear.”
We can see this clearly in many issues that have proven to be failures in the West, yet we insist on pursuing them despite Westerners themselves losing faith in them, let alone the Muslim Ummah who has long ago lost faith in them and turned its back on the UN, Security Council, Arab League, International Community, and the UN Conventions.
