1788/1 - Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) heard a man praising another and exaggerating in his praise. Thereupon, he said: “You have ruined - or broken - the man’s back.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1789/2 - Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “Mention was made of a man in the Prophet’s presence, and so another man spoke well of him. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Woe to you, you have broken the neck of your companion.’ He said it many times: ‘If anyone of you cannot help but praise another person, he should say: I think him to be such-and-such, if he sees that he is like that; and Allah knows him well, and the purity of none can be affirmed before Allah.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1790/3 - Hammām ibn al-Hārith related that Al-Miqdād (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a person began to praise ‘Uthmān (may Allah be pleased with him). So, Al-Miqdād knelt down on his knees and threw gravel at his face. Thereupon, ‘Uthmān said: “What is the matter with you?” He said: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When you see those who praise others, throw dust upon their faces.’” [Narrated by Muslim] The foregoing Hadīths prohibit praising others; whereas there are lots of authentic Hadīths that point to the permissibility of doing so.
Reconciling all these Hadīths, scholars said that if the praised person possesses excellent faith, certitude, strength of character, and adequate knowledge in a way that makes him immune to temptation and self-conceit, then it is not prohibited or disliked to praise him. However, if it is feared he may fall into something of these, then it is extremely disliked to praise him to his face. Based on this approach, we deal with the different Hadīths in this regard. The Hadīths speaking about the permissibility of praising others include one in which the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said about Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): “I hope he will be one of them.” That is, he will be one of those who will be called to enter from all the gates of Paradise. In another Hadīth, he said to him: “You are not one of them.” In other words, you are not one of those who let their garments hang low out of pride. Also, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): “Whenever Satan sees you following a path, he follows another path other than yours.” Numerous Hadīths indicate the permissibility of praising others. Many of them are cited in the book Al-Adhkār.
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1) Praise should be extended as positive thinking about the praised person, not by way of affirming and emphasizing.
2) The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would quickly respond to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and apply his Sunnah, as manifested in what Al-Miqdād did and in ‘Uthmān’s approval of what he did. So, we should be keen on following the guidance of the best people in this Ummah.
Is it recommended to praise someone by mentioning an attribute that really exists in him, or not?
A number of conditions apply here:
- First condition: When praising someone encourages him to assume good morals and act rightly. In such a case, there is nothing wrong with praising him, without exaggeration. Indeed, this falls under the verse that says: {Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness}.
- Second condition: When you praise someone to show his merit among people, like the Prophet’s statement to Abu Bakr: “I hope you are one of them.” Another example is his statement to ‘Umar: “Whenever Satan sees you following a path, he follows another path other than yours.”
Third condition: When you praise someone by mentioning some qualities that really exist in him so as to get him to grant you a request or fulfill a need of yours. This is permissible, provided that no exaggeration is involved. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reportedly said: “When anyone of you seeks the fulfillment of some need, let him do so in a moderate way, for what is predestined for him will reach him. And let no one of you go to his companion and praise him, thus breaking his back.”
Fourth condition: When you praise someone by mentioning some qualities that really exist in him, though it is feared he will become self-conceited and feel that he is superior to others. Such praise is prohibited and impermissible.
Fifth condition: When you praise someone exceedingly and attribute to him qualities that do not exist in him. Such praise is prohibited and it constitutes lying and deception and causes harm to the praised, the praising person, and those who hear it, and Allah knows best.