Tradition

الثَناءُ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنَ الاسْتِحْقاقِ مَلَقٌ و التَّقْصِيرُ مِنَ الأسْتِحْقاقِ عَىٌّ أَوْ حَسَدٌ

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) is narrated to have said: “Praising someone beyond what they are worthy of is flattery and praising them less than what they deserve is either an inability to express oneself or it is envy.”1

Brief Commentary

There is no doubt that we should praise those who perform worthy actions or possess worthy attributes. Such people should be encouraged in the path that they have chosen and they should be given this support. At the same time, this must be done in the correct manner and in the correct amount. If it is done excessively, then it is considered flattery and this is something which brings down the praiser’s character and it also causes the rise of egoism and conceit in the one being praised. If such an action is performed at less than what the person is worthy of then it also has negative consequences because the individual becomes discouraged and it is a sign of either envy or an inability to express oneself.

• 1. Nahj al-Balaghah, Words of Wisdom.