Who are the people mentioned in the Hadith, "You will indeed follow the ways of those who came before you, handspan by handspan, cubit by cubit, so much so that if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would enter it too," and what is the Muslim's stance towards them, and what is the meaning of "handspan by handspan"?

The aforementioned Hadith (definition) is one of the signs of the Prophet's prophethood, and it illustrates the state of many in this Ummah in their following and imitating the People of the Book—Jews and Christians—in transgressions and sins, but not in disbelief. This resemblance in following—"span by span and cubit by cubit" and "footstep for footstep"—indicates a strong conformity to them. The Hadith is a statement whose meaning is a prohibition against following them and turning to anything other than Islam. A Muslim must adhere to the law of Allah and follow the path of the believers, abandon imitating the disbelievers, declare loyalty to Islam and its people, and disavow disbelief and its people.