Explanation of the Chapter: "The Chapter on One Who Praises His Companion if He Is Safe from Him"
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The Shaykh : This is what the author mentioned in this chapter. In the next lesson, if Allah wills, and it will be after a week, meaning we may not be able to attend here for the next lesson; the lesson after that, if Allah wills, will cover another chapter. I am hastening to draw your attention to this because he says: "The Chapter on One Who Praises His Companion if He Is Safe from Him". This chapter qualifies the previous chapter. The meaning of this chapter, together with the previous one, is that if there is a righteous person and someone wants to praise him, and the praiser is certain that the one being praised will not be affected by the praise in his presence, then in this case, this praise is permissible if we are safe from the harm of the praise. Some hadiths regarding this will be mentioned in the chapter.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) established a chapter in the previous lesson on what has been transmitted regarding mutual praise. He mentioned some marfu' hadiths and others mawquf under it, due to the impermissibility of praising a person in his presence. We concluded the lesson by drawing attention to the fact that the author established another chapter after the previous one, which is:
"The Chapter on One Who Praises His Companion if He Is Safe from Him".
So this chapter qualifies the generality of the previous chapter or the previous discussion. The previous discussion, in its hadiths and athar, gave us that it is not permissible for a Muslim to praise his Muslim brother in his presence. This is absolute: So praise is not permissible absolutely. I wonder, is this impermissibility absolute, or does it include an exception?
The answer is: Yes, the previous prohibition against a Muslim praising his Muslim brother in his presence has an exception. What is this exception? The author indicated it with this chapter, and then by mentioning the following hadith under it, he said: "The Chapter on One Who Praises His Companion if He Is Safe from Him". This means one who is safe from his companion, in that if he praises him in his presence, it will not be a cause of his being fitnahed (tempted) and harmed. In that case, it is permissible to praise him in his presence.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) established a chapter in the previous lesson on what has been transmitted regarding mutual praise. He mentioned some marfu' hadiths and others mawquf under it, due to the impermissibility of praising a person in his presence. We concluded the lesson by drawing attention to the fact that the author established another chapter after the previous one, which is:
"The Chapter on One Who Praises His Companion if He Is Safe from Him".
So this chapter qualifies the generality of the previous chapter or the previous discussion. The previous discussion, in its hadiths and athar, gave us that it is not permissible for a Muslim to praise his Muslim brother in his presence. This is absolute:
Praise is slaughter
المدح الذّبحThe answer is: Yes, the previous prohibition against a Muslim praising his Muslim brother in his presence has an exception. What is this exception? The author indicated it with this chapter, and then by mentioning the following hadith under it, he said: "The Chapter on One Who Praises His Companion if He Is Safe from Him". This means one who is safe from his companion, in that if he praises him in his presence, it will not be a cause of his being fitnahed (tempted) and harmed. In that case, it is permissible to praise him in his presence.