Excess praise as sycophancy, deficiency as inability or envy

Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 3|Chapter 347

Nahj al-Balāgha

Book 3, Chapter 347

Excess praise as sycophancy, deficiency as inability or envy
1 Ḥadīth
Ḥadīth 424

٣٤٧. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام): الثَّنَاءُ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنَ الِاسْتِحْقَاقِ مَلَقٌ وَالتَّقْصِيرُ عَنِ الِاسْتِحْقَاقِ عِيٌّ أَوْ حَسَدٌ.

347. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: To praise more than what is due is sycophancy; to do it less is either because of inability to speak or of envy.