16. Praise
أَنَّ رَجُلاً ذُكِرَ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ خَيْرًا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَيْحَكَ قَطَعْتَ عُنُقَ صَاحِبِكَ يَقُولُهُ مِرَارًا إِنْ كَانَ أَحَدُكُمْ مَادِحًا لاَ مَحَالَةَ فَلْيَقُلْ أَحْسَبُ كَذَا وَكَذَا إِنْ كَانَ يَرَى أَنَّهُ كَذَلِكَ وَحَسِيبُهُ اللَّهُ وَلاَ يُزَكِّي عَلَى اللهِ أَحَدًا
✧ A man was mentioned in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, and another man praised him highly. The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Woe to you! You have cut the neck of your companion' - saying it repeatedly - 'If one of you must praise, then let him say, "I reckon so-and-so," if he thinks that he is like that, and Allah is his reckoner, and no one is to be declared pure before Allah.'
سَمِعَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ رَجُلاً يُثْنِي عَلَى رَجُلٍ وَيُطْرِيهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَهْلَكْتُمْ أَوْ قَطَعْتُمْ ظَهْرَ الرَّجُلِ
✧ The Prophet ﷺ heard a man praising another man and extolling him, so the Prophet ﷺ said: "You have destroyed" or "you have broken the back of the man."
عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ كُنَّا جُلُوسًا عِنْدَ عُمَرَ فَأَثْنَى رَجُلٌ عَلَى رَجُلٍ فِي وَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ عَقَرْتَ الرَّجُلَ عَقَرَكَ اللَّهُ
✧ From his father, who said: We were sitting with ʿUmar when a man praised another man to his face. He said: "You have hamstrung the man—may Allah hamstring you!"
قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ يَعْنِي إِذَا قَبِلَهَا
✧ Muḥammad said—meaning when he accepts it.
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ عُمَرُ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ أُسَيْدُ بْنُ حُضَيْرٍ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ ثَابِتُ بْنُ قَيْسِ بْنِ شَمَّاسٍ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ مُعَاذُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْجَمُوحِ نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ قَالَ وَبِئْسَ الرَّجُلُ فُلاَنٌ وَبِئْسَ الرَّجُلُ فُلاَنٌ حَتَّى عَدَّ سَبْعَةً
✧ The Prophet ﷺ said: "What an excellent man is Abū Bakr! What an excellent man is ʿUmar! What an excellent man is Abū ʿUbaydah! What an excellent man is Usayd b. Ḥuḍayr! What an excellent man is Thābit b. Qays b. Shammās! What an excellent man is Muʿādh b. ʿAmr b. al-Jamūḥ! What an excellent man is Muʿādh b. Jabal!" He said: "And what a bad man is so-and-so! And what a bad man is so-and-so!"—until he had counted seven.
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 338No grade recorded
أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتِ اسْتَأْذَنَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ بِئْسَ ابْنُ الْعَشِيرَةِ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ هَشَّ لَهُ وَانْبَسَطَ إِلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ الرَّجُلُ اسْتَأْذَنَ آخَرُ قَالَ نِعْمَ ابْنُ الْعَشِيرَةِ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ لَمْ يَنْبَسِطْ إِلَيْهِ كَمَا انْبَسَطَ إِلَى الْآخَرِ وَلَمْ يَهِشَّ إِلَيْهِ كَمَا هَشَّ لِلْآخَرِ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ قُلْتُ لِفُلاَنٍ مَا قُلْتَ ثُمَّ هَشَشْتَ إِلَيْهِ وَقُلْتَ لِفُلاَنٍ مَا قُلْتَ وَلَمْ أَرَكَ صَنَعْتَ مِثْلَهُ؟ قَالَ يَا عَائِشَةُ إِنَّ مِنْ شَرِّ النَّاسِ مَنِ اتُّقِيَ لِفُحْشِهِ
✧ ʿĀʾishah said: A man asked permission to enter upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "What a bad son of the clan he is!" But when he entered, he was cheerful to him and open with him. When the man left, another asked permission, and he said: "What an excellent son of the clan he is!" But when he entered, he was not as open with him as he had been with the other, and he was not as cheerful to him as he had been to the other. When he left, I said: "O Messenger of Allah, you said about so-and-so what you said, then you were cheerful to him, and you said about so-and-so what you said, but I did not see you do the same for him?" He said: "O ʿĀʾishah, among the worst of people is one who is avoided because of his obscenity."
عَنْ أَبِي مَعْمَرٍ قَالَ قَامَ رَجُلٌ يُثْنِي عَلَى أَمِيرٍ مِنَ الأُمَرَاءِ فَجَعَلَ الْمِقْدَادُ يَحْثِي فِي وَجْهِهِ التُّرَابَ وَقَالَ أَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَنْ نَحْثِيَ فِي وُجُوهِ الْمَدَّاحِينَ التُّرَابَ
✧ From Abū Maʿmar, who said: A man stood up praising one of the commanders, and al-Miqdād began throwing dust in his face and said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to throw dust in the faces of those who praise."
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الْمَدَّاحِينَ فَاحْثُوا فِي وُجُوهِهِمُ التُّرَابَ
✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "When you see those who praise, throw dust in their faces."
قَالَ رَجَاءٌ أَقْبَلْتُ مَعَ مِحْجَنٍ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ حَتَّى انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى مَسْجِدِ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ فَإِذَا بُرَيْدَةُ الأَسْلَمِيُّ عَلَى بَابٍ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الْمَسْجِدِ جَالِسٌ قَالَ وَكَانَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ رَجُلٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ سُكْبَةُ يُطِيلُ الصَّلاَةَ فَلَمَّا انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى بَابِ الْمَسْجِدِ وَعَلَيْهِ بُرْدَةٌ وَكَانَ بُرَيْدَةُ صَاحِبَ مُزَاحَاتٍ فَقَالَ يَا مِحْجَنُ أَتُصَلِّي كَمَا يُصَلِّي سُكْبَةُ؟ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ مِحْجَنٌ وَرَجَعَ قَالَ قَالَ مِحْجَنٌ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ أَخَذَ بِيَدِي فَانْطَلَقْنَا نَمْشِي حَتَّى صَعِدْنَا أُحُدًا فَأَشْرَفَ عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَقَالَ وَيْلُ أُمِّهَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ يَتْرُكُهَا أَهْلُهَا كَأَعْمَرَ مَا تَكُونُ يَأْتِيهَا الدَّجَّالُ فَيَجِدُ عَلَى كُلِّ بَابٍ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا مَلَكًا فَلاَ يَدْخُلُهَا ثُمَّ انْحَدَرَ حَتَّى إِذَا كُنَّا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ رَأَى رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ رَجُلاً يُصَلِّي وَيَسْجُدُ وَيَرْكَعُ فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَنْ هَذَا؟ فَأَخَذْتُ أُطْرِيهِ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ هَذَا فُلاَنٌ وَهَذَا فَقَالَ أَمْسِكْ لاَ تُسْمِعْهُ فَتُهْلِكَهُ قَالَ فَانْطَلَقَ يَمْشِي حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ عِنْدَ حُجَرِهِ لَكِنَّهُ نَفَضَ يَدَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ خَيْرَ دِينِكُمْ أَيْسَرُهُ إِنَّ خَيْرَ دِينِكُمْ أَيْسَرُهُ ثَلاثًا
✧ Rajāʾ said: I set out one day with Miḥjan until we reached the mosque of the people of Baṣrah, and there was Buraydah al-Aslamī sitting at one of the gates of the mosque. He said: In the mosque there was a man called Sukbah who used to prolong the prayer. When we reached the gate of the mosque—and Buraydah had a cloak on—and Buraydah was a man fond of joking, he said: "O Miḥjan, will you pray as Sukbah prays?" Miḥjan did not answer him and turned back. He said: Miḥjan said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took me by the hand, and we set off walking until we climbed Uḥud. He looked out over Madinah and said: 'Woe to its mother—a town whose people abandon it when it is at its most prosperous! The Dajjāl will come to it and find at every one of its gates an angel, so he will not enter it.' Then he descended until, when we were in the mosque, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw a man praying, prostrating, and bowing. He said to me: 'Who is this?' I began to extol him and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, this is so-and-so, and this is...' He said: 'Stop! Do not let him hear you, or you will destroy him.'" He said: "Then he went on walking until, when he was near his rooms, he shook his hands and said: 'The best of your religion is the easiest of it; the best of your religion is the easiest of it'—three times."
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 342No grade recorded
عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ بْنِ سَرِيعٍ قَالَ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ قَدْ مَدَحْتُ اللَّهَ بِمَحَامِدَ وَمِدَحٍ وَإِيَّاكَ فَقَالَ أَمَا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يُحِبُّ الْحَمْدَ فَجَعَلْتُ أُنْشِدُهُ فَاسْتَأْذَنَ رَجُلٌ طُوَالٌ أَصْلَعُ فَقَالَ لِيَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ اسْكُتْ فَدَخَلَ فَتَكَلَّمَ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَأَنْشَدْتُهُ ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَسَكَّتَنِي ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا فَقُلْتُ مَنْ هَذَا الَّذِي سَكَّتَّنِي لَهُ؟ قَالَ هَذَا رَجُلٌ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْبَاطِلَ
✧ From al-Aswad b. Sarīʿ, who said: I came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have praised Allah with praises and eulogies, and you too." He said: "Indeed, your Lord loves praise." So I began to recite to him, and a tall, bald man asked permission to enter. The Prophet ﷺ said to me: "Be quiet." He entered and spoke for a while, then left, and I recited to him. Then he came again and silenced me, then left. He did that two or three times. I said: "Who is this that you silenced me for?" He said: "This is a man who does not love falsehood."
أَنَّ شَاعِرًا جَاءَ إِلَى عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ فَأَعْطَاهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ تُعْطِي شَاعِرًا؟ فَقَالَ أُبْقِي عَلَى عِرْضِي
✧ A poet came to ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn, and he gave him something. It was said to him: "You give to a poet?" He said: "I am protecting my honor."