Riyad as-Salihin, 1789

Abu Bakrah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

Mention of a man was made to the Prophet (ﷺ) and someone praised him whereupon he (ﷺ) said, "Woe be to you! You have broken the neck of your friend!" He repeated this several times and added, "If one of you has to praise his friend at all, he should say: 'I reckon him to be such and such and Allah knows him well', if you think him to be so-and-so, you will be accountable to Allah because no one can testify the purity of others against Allah." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

وعن أبي بكر رضي الله عنه أن رجلا ذُكر عند النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فأثنى عليه رجل خيرًا، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏"‏ويحك‏!‏ قطعت عنق صاحبك‏"‏ يقوله مرارًا ‏"‏وإن كان أحدكم مادحًا لا محالة، فليقل‏:‏ أحسب كذا وكذا إن كان يرى أنه كذلك وحسيبه الله، ولا يزكي على الله أحدًا‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏

References1 variant

In-Book Reference: Book 17, Hadith 279

Sharh · explanationclick to expand

Guidance from the Hadiths: 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.

Related hadiths5