Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Praise
كتاب المدح
Chapter 153
بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي التَّمَادُحِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Bakra reported that a man was mentioned in the presence of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and another man praised him. The Prophet said repeatedly, ‘Woe to you! You have cut your companion’s neck!’ Then he said, ‘If one of you simply must praise someone, let him say, “I think so-and-so is such-and-such,” if he believes that to be the case. Allah is his reckoner, and no one should declare anyone pure before Allah.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The warning ‘you have cut your companion’s neck’ is an Arabic idiom for gravely harming him through praise; the literal image is retained, as in the English witness.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Musa reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) heard a man praising another and going to excess in his praise. The Prophet said, ‘You have destroyed him—or broken the man’s back.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic presents two alternative verbs, ‘destroyed’ or ‘broke’; the translation retains the alternative rather than selecting one.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibrahim al-Taymi reported that his father said: We were sitting with ‘Umar when a man praised another man to his face. He said, ‘You have wounded the man—may Allah wound you!’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The verb عَقَرَ can convey wounding or disabling; ‘wounded’ follows the source’s rebuke without adding a specific injury.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Zayd ibn Aslam reported that his father heard ‘Umar say: Praise is slaughter. Muhammad explained: He meant when a person accepts it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The saying uses a stark metaphor; the transmitter’s gloss limits its application to praise that the recipient accepts.
Chapter 154
بَابُ مَنْ أَثْنَى عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ إِنْ كَانَ آمِنًا بِهِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: What an excellent man Abu Bakr is! What an excellent man ‘Umar is! What an excellent man Abu ‘Ubayda is! What an excellent man Usayd ibn Hudayr is! What an excellent man Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas is! What an excellent man Mu‘adh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Jamuh is! What an excellent man Mu‘adh ibn Jabal is! He also said: What a bad man so-and-so is, and what a bad man so-and-so is, until he had counted seven.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source names seven men in praise and then reports condemnations of unnamed men, counting seven; it does not identify the unnamed men.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘A’isha said: A man asked permission to enter and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘What a bad man of his clan!’ When the man entered, the Prophet welcomed him warmly and spoke with him at ease. After he left, another man asked permission to enter. The Prophet said, ‘What an excellent man of his clan!’ When he entered, the Prophet was not as warm or at ease with him as he had been with the first. When the second man left, I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, you said what you said about so-and-so, then welcomed him warmly; you said what you said about so-and-so, but I did not see you treat him the same way.’ He replied, ‘‘A’isha, among the worst of people is one whose foul speech causes others to be wary of him.’’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report contrasts the Prophet’s private assessment of two men with his different manner toward each; the final explanation links this conduct to the harm caused by a person’s foul speech.
Chapter 155
بَابُ يُحْثَى فِي وُجُوهِ الْمَدَّاحِينَ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Ma‘mar said: A man stood up praising one of the commanders, and al-Miqdad began throwing dust in his face. He said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) commanded us to throw dust in the faces of those who lavish praise.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic describes throwing dust in the man’s face, then gives a plural general instruction about lavish praisers.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Ata ibn Abi Rabah reported: A man was praising another in Ibn ‘Umar’s presence, so Ibn ‘Umar began throwing dust toward his mouth. He said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘When you see those who lavish praise, throw dust in their faces.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The narration says Ibn ‘Umar threw dust toward the praiser’s mouth; the quoted instruction addresses lavish praisers generally.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Raja‘ said: One day I went with Mihjan al-Aslami until we reached the mosque of the people of Basra. Burayda al-Aslami was sitting by one of its doors. There was a man in the mosque called Sukba who prayed at length. When we reached the mosque entrance, Mihjan was wearing a striped cloak. Burayda, who was fond of joking, said, ‘Mihjan, do you pray as Sukba does?’ Mihjan did not answer him and turned back. Mihjan said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) once took me by the hand, and we walked until we climbed Mount Uhud. He looked out over Medina and said, ‘Woe to this town! Its people will leave it when it is at its most flourishing. The Dajjal will come to it and find an angel at each of its gates, and so he will not enter it.’ Then he descended. When we reached the mosque, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saw a man praying, prostrating and bowing, and asked me, ‘Who is this?’ I began praising him, saying, ‘Messenger of Allah, this is so-and-so, and this is so-and-so.’ He said, ‘Stop! Do not let him hear you, or you will destroy him.’ He then walked until he was near his chambers, shook his hands, and said: The best of your religion is what is easiest; the best of your religion is what is easiest—three times.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic source includes a final statement, repeated three times, that the best of the religion is what is easiest; this ending is absent from the supplied English witness. ‘Chambers’ renders حُجَرِهِ; the phrase نَفَضَ يَدَيْهِ literally says he shook his hands.
ثُمَّ انْحَدَرَ حَتَّى إِذَا كُنَّا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ، رَأَى رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَجُلاً يُصَلِّي، وَيَسْجُدُ، وَيَرْكَعُ، فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: 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.
The Arabic continues with the scene at the mosque and a concluding statement repeated three times; the supplied English witness ends after the warning not to let the man hear the praise.
Can the English witness be checked against another edition to confirm whether this continuation was omitted from that witness?
Chapter 156
بَابُ مَنْ مَدَحَ فِي الشِّعْرِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-Aswad ibn Sari‘ said: I came to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I have praised Allah with words of praise and commendation, and I have praised you as well.’ He said, ‘Your Lord loves praise.’ So I began reciting to him. A tall, bald man asked permission to enter, and the Prophet said to me, ‘Be quiet.’ The man entered, spoke for a while, and then left. I resumed reciting, but the man came back and the Prophet silenced me again. He left, and this happened two or three times. I asked, ‘Who is this for whom you silenced me?’ He replied, ‘This is a man who does not like falsehood.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source describes the man only as tall and bald and does not name him. The word الباطل is rendered ‘falsehood’ rather than the English witness’s ‘vain things.’
Chapter 157
بَابُ إِعْطَاءِ الشَّاعِرِ إِذَا خَافَ شَرَّهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Yusuf ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Nujayd ibn ‘Imran ibn Husayn reported from his father, Nujayd: A poet came to ‘Imran ibn Husayn, who gave him something. Someone asked him, ‘You give to a poet?’ He replied, ‘I am protecting my reputation.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic attributes the report through Yusuf from his father, Nujayd, and says ‘I am protecting my honor/reputation’; it does not explicitly state the feared consequence, though the English witness glosses it as protection from satire.