1639 - مَدحُ الرَّجُلِ بِما لَيسَ فيهِ‏

1639. PRAISING SOMEONE FOR QUALITIES

5731.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : يابنَ مَسعودٍ ، إذا مَدَحَكَ النّاسُ فقالوا : إنّك تَصومُ النَّهارَ وتَقومُ اللّيلَ وأنتَ على‏ غَيرِ ذلكَ فلا تَفرَحْ بذلكَ؛ فإنَّ اللَّهَ تعالى‏ يقولُ : (لا تَحْسَبَنَّ الّذينَ يَفرَحُونَ بِما أتَوا ويُحِبُّونَ أنْ يُحمَدوا بما لَم يَفْعَلوا فَلا تَحْسَبَنَّهُمْ بِمَفازَةٍ مِنَ العَذابِ ولَهُمْ عَذابٌ ألِيمٌ) .¹

5731.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'O Ibn Masud, if people praise you, saying, 'You fast the day and stay awake at night', and you do not actually do so then do not feel happy about it, for Allah Almighty says, "Do not suppose those who exult in what they have done, and love to be praised for what they have not done, do not suppose them saved from punishment, and there is a painful punishment for them." ²³

5732.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : مَن مَدَحَكَ بمالَيسَ فيكَ فَهُو ذَمٌّ لَكَ إن عَقَلتَ .⁴

5732.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Whoever praises you with something you do not have then it is a disparagement for you, if you are sane [know].' ⁵

5733.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : اِحذَرْ مَن يُطرِيكَ بما لَيسَ فيكَ فيُوشَكَ أن تَنهَتِكَ بما لَيسَ فيكَ .⁶

5733.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'Beware of he who praises you with what you do not have for you may be disgraced with qualities that are not in you.' ⁷

5734.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - من كتابهِ للأشتَرِ - : اِلصَقْ بأهلِ الوَرَعِ والصِّدقِ ، ثُمّ رُضهُمْ على‏ ألّا يُطروكَ ، ولا يُبَجِّوكَ بباطِلٍ لَم تَفعَلْهُ ؛ فإنَّ كَثرَةَ الإطراءِ تُحدِثُ الزَّهوَ ، وتُدني مِن العِزَّةِ (الغِرَّةِ) .⁸

5734. Imam Ali (AS), in his letter to al-Ashtar, said, 'Stick to people of piety and truthfulness, then tell them not to praise you and not to slash you with a wrong that you have not done, for too much praise brings pride and decreases dignity.' ⁹

5735.الإمامُ الباقرُ عليه السلام لجابرِ بنِ يزيدَ الجُعفيِّ - : واعلَمْ بأنّكَ لا تكونُ لنا وَلِيّاً حتّى‏ لَوِ اجتَمعَ علَيكَ أهلُ مِصرِكَ وقالوا : إنّكَ رجُلُ سَوءٍ لَم يَحزُنْكَ ذلكَ ، ولَو قالوا : إنّكَ رجُلٌ صالِحٌ لَم يَسُرَّكَ ذلكَ ، ولكنِ اعرِضْ نَفسَكَ على‏ كِتابِ اللَّهِ ؛ فإن كنتَ سالِكاً سَبيلَهُ ، زاهِداً في تَزهِيدِهِ ، راغِباً في تَرغيبِهِ، خائفاً مِن تَخويفِهِ ، فاثبُتْ وأبشِرْ ، فإنّهُ لا يَضُرُّكَ ما قيلَ فيكَ ، وإن كنتَ مُبائناً للقُرآنِ فماذا الّذي يَغُرُّكَ مِن نَفسِكَ ؟ !¹⁰

5735. Imam al-Baqir (AS) said to Jabir b. Yazid al-Jufi, 'Know that you will not be a friend of ours unless if all of your countrymen were to gather and claim that you are a bad person, it would not worry you, and if they were all to say that you are a good person, it would not make you any happier. Expose yourself to the Book of Allah, and if you follow its path, abstaining from that which it dictates to be abstained from, wanting what it wants, and fearing that which it frightens about, then be steadfast and rejoice, for what is said about you will not harm you. But if you are contrary to the Quran then what do you have to be proud about?' ¹¹

5736.الإمامُ العسكريُّ عليه السلام : مَن مَدَحَ غَيرَ المُستَحِقِّ فَقَد قامَ مَقامَ المُتَّهَمِ .¹²

5736. Imam al-'Askari (AS) said, 'He who praises one who is not worthy of it, stands to be suspected!' ¹³

359 - المدح‏

359. PRAISE

1638 - ذَمُّ المَدحِ‏

1638. THE CENSURE OF PRAISE

5721.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إيّاكُم والمَدحَ ؛ فإنّهُ الذَّبحُ .¹

5721.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Beware of praise, for verily it is slaughter.' ²

5722.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : لَو مَشى‏ رجُلٌ إلى‏ رجُلٍ بسِكِّينٍ مُرهَفٍ كانَ خَيراً لَهُ مِن أن يُثني علَيهِ في وَجهِهِ .³

5722.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'A man insulting another man with a sharp knife is better for him than if he was to praise him to his face.' ⁴

5723.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : حُبُّ الإطراءِ والثّناءِ يُعمي ويُصِمُّ عَنِ الدِّينِ ، ويَدَعُ الدِّيارَ بَلاقِعَ .⁵

5723.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'The love of commendation and praise blinds and deafens one from religion, and it makes houses desolate.' ⁶

5724.المقداد بن عمرو : أمَرَنا رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله أن نَحثُوَ في وُجوهِ المَدّاحِينَ التُّرابَ .⁷

5724. Al-Miqdad b. Amr narrated, 'The Prophet (SAWA) ordered us to throw dust into the faces of the praisers.' ⁸

5725.أبو موسى : إنّ رجُلاً مَدَحَ رجُلاً عِندَ النَّبيِّ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله ، فقالَ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : لا تُسمِعْهُ فتُهلِكَهُ ، لَو سَمِعَكَ لَم يُفلِحْ .⁹

5725. Abu Musa narrated, 'A man was about to praise another man in front of the Prophet (SAWA), so he (SAWA) said, 'Do not let him listen for you will ruin him, and if he hears you he will not succeed.' ¹⁰

5726.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : أيُّها النّاسُ ، اعلَموا أنّهُ ليسَ بعاقِلٍ مَنِ انزَعَجَ مِن قَولِ الزُّورِ فيهِ ، ولابحَكيمٍ مَن رَضِيَ بثَناءِ الجاهِلِ علَيهِ .¹¹

5726.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'O people, know that one who is annoyed by a false accusation about him is not intelligent, and nor is one who accepts the praise of an ignorant person wise.' ¹²

5727.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : إذا مَدَحتَ فاختَصِرْ ، إذا ذَمَمتَ فاقتَصِرْ .¹³

5727.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'If you [must] praise then make it brief, and if you disparage make it short.' ¹⁴

5728.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : وقَد كَرِهتُ أن يكونَ جالَ في ظنِّكُم أنّي اُحِبُّ الإطراءَ واستِماعَ الثَّناءِ ، ولَستُ - بحَمدِ اللَّهِ - كذلكَ . ولَو كُنتُ اُحِبُّ أن يقالَ ذلكَ لَتَرَكتُهُ انحِطاطاً للَّهِ سبحانَهُ عن تَناوُلِ ما هُو أحَقُّ بهِ مِن العَظَمَةِ والكِبرياءِ ، ورُبَّما استَحلى‏ النّاسُ الثَّناءَ بَعدَ البَلاءِ ، فلا تُثنوا علَيَّ بجَميلِ ثَناءٍ لإخراجي نَفسي إلَى اللَّهِ سبحانَهُ وإلَيكُم مِن التَّقيَّةِ (البَقيَّةِ) في حُقوقٍ لَم أفرُغْ مِن أدائها وفَرائضَ لابُدَّ مِن إمضائها، فلا تُكَلِّموني بما تُكَلَّمُ بهِ الجَبابِرَةُ ، ولا تَتَحَفَّظوا مِنّي بما يُتَحَفَّظُ بهِ عِندَ أهلِ البادِرَةِ ، ولا تُخالِطوني بالمُصانَعَةِ .¹⁵

5728.Imam Ali (AS) said, 'I hate it for you to think that I like commendation and listening to praises when, praise be to Allah, I am not so. If I did like for such things to be said, I would abandon it as degradation of myself before Allah Almighty in accepting something that He is more worthy of in Grandeur and Glory. People might be pleased with praises after hardships, but do not praise me good praises for what I have done for Allah Almighty, and for you in what is left of the rights I have not yet fulfilled, and obligations I must duly accomplish. So do no speak to me the way you speak to tyrants, and do not evade me as the people of passion are [to be] evaded, and do not meet me with flattery.' ¹⁶

5729.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - لَمّا مَدَحَهُ قَومٌ في وَجهِهِ - : اللّهُمّ إنّكَ أعلَمُ بي مِن نَفسي ، وأنا أعلَمُ بنَفسي مِنهُم . اللّهُمّ اجعَلْنا خَيراً مِمّا يَظُنّونَ ، واغفِرْ لَنا ما لا يَعلَمونَ .¹⁷

5729. Imam Ali (AS), when a group of people praised him to his face, said, 'O Allah, You know more about me than I myself do, and I know more about myself than they do. O Allah, make us better than what they think and forgive us that which they do not know.' ¹⁸

5730.الإمامُ زينُ العابدينَ عليه السلام : المؤمنُ يَصمُتُ لِيَسلَمَ ، ويَنطِقُ لِيَغنَمَ... إن زُكِّيَ خافَ مِمّا يَقولونَ ، ويَستَغفِرُ اللَّهَ لِما لايَعلمونَ ، لايَغِرُّهُ قَولُ مَن جَهِلَهُ ، ويَخافُ إحصاءَ ما عَمِلَهُ .¹⁹

5730. Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said, 'A believer is silent in order to be safe, and speaks in order to benefit.... If he is praised he fears what they say and he seeks forgiveness from Allah for what they do not know. He is not deceived by the sayings of those who do not know him, and he fears being accountable for the things he has done.' ²⁰