Certifying a person's character based solely on his fame and abundance of worship

Question:
He asks: Is a righteous person certified based solely on his fame among people, or on the abundance of his worship and his appearance of righteousness?

Answer:
Certifying a person's character is a testimony. Certifying a person is a testimony. And testimony is not permissible except based on knowledge. Allah the Exalted said: . Those who testify to the truth while they know. Therefore, the testimony must be based on knowledge of the person. What appears to you is not sufficient until you know his inner self and his outward appearance, and you certify him on that basis. As for if you do not know him, then you remain silent about him; you neither praise him nor blame him because you do not know him. Yes.