<b>Guidance from the Hadiths:</b><br> 1) Praise should be extended as positive thinking about the praised person, not by way of affirming and emphasizing.<br> 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.<br> <br> <b>Benefit:</b><br> Reconciling all these Hadiths, 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 Hadiths in this regard. The Hadiths 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 Hadith, 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.” <br> <br> Is it recommended to praise someone by mentioning an attribute that really exists in him, or not?<br> A number of conditions apply here:<br> - 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}.<br> - 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.”<br> 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.”<br> 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.<br> 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.