Sahih al-Bukhari
Sahih al-Bukhari 2662
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَامٍ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدٌ الْحَذَّاءُ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ أَثْنَى رَجُلٌ عَلَى رَجُلٍ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ وَيْلَكَ قَطَعْتَ عُنُقَ صَاحِبِكَ قَطَعْتَ عُنُقَ صَاحِبِكَ مِرَارًا ثُمَّ قَالَ مَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ مَادِحًا أَخَاهُ لَا مَحَالَةَ فَلْيَقُلْ أَحْسِبُ فُلَانًا وَاللَّهُ حَسِيبُهُ وَلَا أُزَكِّي عَلَى اللَّهِ أَحَدًا أَحْسِبُهُ كَذَا وَكَذَا إِنْ كَانَ يَعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Salam narrated to us: ʿAbd al-Wahhab narrated to us: Khalid al-Hadhdha narrated to us, from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakra, from his father, who said: A man praised another man in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ. He said: “Woe to you! You have cut your companion’s neck! You have cut your companion’s neck!” He repeated it several times, then said: “If one of you must praise his brother, let him say: ‘I think so-and-so is such-and-such, and Allah is his reckoner; I do not declare anyone pure before Allah. I think he is such-and-such,’ if he knows that about him.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
“You have cut your companion’s neck” is retained as the source’s repeated metaphor for excessive praise.