حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو شِهَابٍ عَنْ خَالِدٍ الْحَذَّائِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي بَکْرَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّ رَجُلًا أَثْنَی عَلَی رَجُلٍ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ لَهُ قَطَعْتَ عُنُقَ صَاحِبِکَ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِذَا مَدَحَ أَحَدُکُمْ صَاحِبَهُ لَا مَحَالَةَ فَلْيَقُلْ إِنِّي أَحْسِبُهُ کَمَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَقُولَ وَلَا أُزَکِّيهِ عَلَی اللَّهِ
سنن ابودوٗد · Hadith 4805
Abu Bakrah said that when a man praised another man in his face in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ said: You have beheaded your friend (saying it three times). He then said: One who cannot help expressing praise of his compnion, should say: I consider him such and such (as he intends to say), but I do not declare him pure with Allah.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020