Fortress of the Muslim
Hisn al-Muslim 231
Arabic hadith text
قال صلى الله عليه وسلم: "إِذَا كَانَ أَحَدُكُم مَادِحاً صَاحِبَهُ لاَ مَحَالَةَ فَلْيَقُلْ: أَحْسِبُ فُلاَناً وَاللَّهُ حَسِيبُهُ، وَلاَ أُزَكِّي عَلَى اللَّهِ أَحَداً، أَحْسِبُهُ – إِنْ كَانَ يَعْلَمُ ذَاكَ – كَذَا وَكَذَا"
Translation
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “If one of you must praise his companion, let him say: ‘I consider so-and-so—and Allah is his reckoner, and I do not declare anyone pure before Allah—I consider him to be such-and-such,’ if he knows that of him.”
Translation notes
أَحْسِبُهُ – إِنْ كَانَ يَعْلَمُ ذَاكَ – كَذَا وَكَذَا
The parenthetical clause and its referent are not fully clear in this source wording; the witness supplies a longer explanation about knowing a praiseworthy trait.
How should the condition in this praise formula be attached in English?