diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/SimpleList.spec.tsx b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/SimpleList.spec.tsx
index 7181d94aed0..ae5350f12dd 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/SimpleList.spec.tsx
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/SimpleList.spec.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import * as React from 'react';
-import { render, waitFor, within } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { fireEvent, render, waitFor, within } from '@testing-library/react';
 import { createMemoryHistory } from 'history';
 import { Router } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { ListContext } from 'ra-core';
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import SimpleList from './SimpleList';
 import TextField from '../field/TextField';
 
 const renderWithRouter = children => {
-    const history = createMemoryHistory();
+    const history = createMemoryHistory({ initialEntries: ['/posts'] });
 
     return {
         history,
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ describe('<SimpleList />', () => {
             (record, id, basePath) => `${basePath}/${id}/details`,
         ],
     ])('should support %s linkType', async (_, expectedUrl, linkType) => {
-        const { getByText } = renderWithRouter(
+        const { history, getByText } = renderWithRouter(
             <ListContext.Provider
                 value={{
                     loaded: true,
@@ -83,10 +83,39 @@ describe('<SimpleList />', () => {
             </ListContext.Provider>
         );
 
+        fireEvent.click(getByText('1'));
         await waitFor(() => {
-            expect(getByText('1').closest('a').getAttribute('href')).toEqual(
+            expect(history.entries[history.length - 1].pathname).toEqual(
                 expectedUrl
             );
         });
     });
+    it('should not render a link if linkType is false', async () => {
+        const { getByText } = renderWithRouter(
+            <ListContext.Provider
+                value={{
+                    loaded: true,
+                    loading: false,
+                    ids: [1, 2],
+                    data: {
+                        1: { id: 1, title: 'foo' },
+                        2: { id: 2, title: 'bar' },
+                    },
+                    total: 2,
+                    resource: 'posts',
+                    basePath: '/posts',
+                }}
+            >
+                <SimpleList
+                    linkType={false}
+                    primaryText={record => record.id.toString()}
+                    secondaryText={<TextField source="title" />}
+                />
+            </ListContext.Provider>
+        );
+
+        await waitFor(() => {
+            expect(getByText('1').closest('a')).toBeNull();
+        });
+    });
 });
diff --git a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/SimpleList.tsx b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/SimpleList.tsx
index 9bc4d526b12..ef34b2a7aa3 100644
--- a/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/SimpleList.tsx
+++ b/packages/ra-ui-materialui/src/list/SimpleList.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,5 @@
 import * as React from 'react';
-import {
-    isValidElement,
-    ReactNode,
-    ReactElement,
-    useEffect,
-    useState,
-} from 'react';
+import { isValidElement, ReactNode, ReactElement, useCallback } from 'react';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import {
     Avatar,
@@ -18,7 +12,7 @@ import {
     ListItemText,
 } from '@material-ui/core';
 import { makeStyles } from '@material-ui/core/styles';
-import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
+import { useHistory } from 'react-router-dom';
 import {
     Identifier,
     linkToRecord,
@@ -140,7 +134,7 @@ const SimpleList = <RecordType extends Record = Record>(
                                 resource={resource}
                             >
                                 <ListItem
-                                    button={!!linkType as any}
+                                    component="div"
                                     style={
                                         rowStyle
                                             ? rowStyle(data[id], rowIndex)
@@ -283,38 +277,46 @@ const LinkOrNot = (props: LinkOrNotProps) => {
         resource,
     } = props;
     const classes = useLinkOrNotStyles({ classes: classesOverride });
-    const [effect, setEffect] = useState<string>(() =>
-        linkType === 'edit' || linkType === true
-            ? linkToRecord(basePath || `/${resource}`, id)
-            : linkToRecord(basePath || `/${resource}`, id, 'show')
-    );
+    const history = useHistory();
 
-    useEffect(() => {
-        if (typeof linkType !== 'function') {
-            return;
-        }
-        const getEffect = async () => {
-            if (typeof linkType === 'function') {
-                setEffect(
-                    await linkType(record, id, basePath || `/${resource}`)
-                );
-            }
-        };
+    const handleClick = useCallback(
+        async event => {
+            if (!linkType) return;
+            event.persist();
 
-        getEffect();
-    }, [basePath, id, linkType, record, resource]);
+            const effect =
+                typeof linkType === 'function'
+                    ? await linkType(record, id, basePath || `/${resource}`)
+                    : linkType;
+            switch (effect) {
+                case true:
+                case 'edit':
+                    history.push(linkToRecord(basePath || `/${resource}`, id));
+                    return;
+                case 'show':
+                    history.push(
+                        linkToRecord(basePath || `/${resource}`, id, 'show')
+                    );
+                    return;
+                default:
+                    if (effect) history.push(effect);
+                    return;
+            }
+        },
+        [basePath, history, id, record, resource, linkType]
+    );
 
-    return typeof effect === 'string' ? (
-        <Link to={effect} className={classes.link}>
+    return linkType !== false ? (
+        <button onClick={handleClick} className={classes.link}>
             {children}
-        </Link>
+        </button>
     ) : (
         <span>{children}</span>
     );
 };
 
 export type FunctionLinkType = (
-    record: Record,
+    recordOrId: Record,
     id: Identifier,
     basePath?: string
 ) => string | Promise<string>;