Ibn Taymiyyah said:
“… Allaah fashioned the human, as well as
every type of creature, to naturally interact with similar creatures.
The closer these two creatures are, the more they will interact and become
similar to each other in their manners and characteristics, to the point that one
would be unable to distinguish between them except in terms of their physical
appearance.
Since human beings are closest to each
other, their interaction with and imitation of each other is the strongest.
Although not as strong, the closeness of humans to animals is intermediate,
and there must be interaction and imitation between them to a certain degree as
well. Although extremely weak, there is also a degree of closeness between humans and plants, and there must
also be interaction and imitation between them to a certain degree.
Due to this principle, human beings are
affected by each other in obtaining certain manners and characteristics as the
result of being close to and living with each other. So, if a human lives amongst a certain type of
animal, he
will eventually obtain some of that animal’s characteristics. This is why boastfulness is a characteristic of
camel-herders, tranquility is a characteristic of sheep-herders, and those who
raise mules eventually develop some repugnant characteristics of mules, and
this is also the case with those who raise dogs. The same applies for
animals that spend much of their time around humans: you will
find that they obtain some of the characteristics of humans due their
constantly being around them.
So, external closeness between creatures gradually and silently
leads to internal closeness between them. I have seen how the
Jews and Christians who live amongst the Muslims are not as severe in their Kufr
as those who do not live amongst them. Likewise, the Muslims who live
amongst the Jews and Christians are generally weaker in their faith than the
Muslims who do not…”
[‘Iqitida’ as-Sirat al-Mustaqim ibn
Taymiyyah’: 1/220]
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