Explanation of the Chapter

The Shaykh : This is what the author has cited in this chapter. In the next lesson, if Allah wills, and that will be after a week, meaning we may not be able to attend here; the lesson after that, if Allah wills, will cover another chapter. I am hastening to draw your attention to this because he says: "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, and he cited under it some marfu' hadiths and others mawquf, 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: "Chapter on one who praises his companion if he is safe from him." This chapter qualifies the generality of the previous chapter or the previous discussion. The previous discussion, in its hadiths and athar, indicated 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. One might wonder if this impermissibility is absolute, or if there is an exception under it? 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: "Chapter on one who praises his companion if he is safe from him." This means that if one is safe from his companion, in that if he praises him in his presence, it will not be a cause of his being deluded or harmed thereby, then it is permissible to praise him in his presence.