A man came and praised ‘Uthman in his face, al-Miqdad b. Al-Aswad took dust and threw it on his face, saying : The Apostle of Allah ﷺ said : When you see those who are given to praising people, throw dust in their faces.  

وَقَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الْمَدَّاحِينَ فَاحْثُوا فِي وُجُوهِهِمُ التُّرَابَ  

You have beheaded your friend (saying it three times). He then said : One who cannot help expressing praise of his companion, should say : I consider him such and such (as he intends to say), but I do not declare him pure with Allah.  

أَنَّ رَجُلاً أَثْنَى عَلَى رَجُلٍ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ لَهُ قَطَعْتَ عُنُقَ صَاحِبِكَ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِذَا مَدَحَ أَحَدُكُمْ صَاحِبَهُ لاَ مَحَالَةَ فَلْيَقُلْ إِنِّي أَحْسِبُهُ كَمَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَقُولَ وَلاَ أُزَكِّيهِ عَلَى اللَّهِ  

I went with a deputation of Banu Amir to the apostle of Allah ﷺ, and we said: You are our lord (sayyid). To this he replied: The lord is Allah, the Blessed and Exalted. Then we said: And the one of us most endowed with excellence and superiority. To this he replied: Say what you have to say, or part of what you have to say, and do not let the devil make you his agents.  

أَبِي انْطَلَقْتُ فِي وَفْدِ بَنِي عَامِرٍ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْنَا أَنْتَ سَيِّدُنَا فَقَالَ السَّيِّدُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى قُلْنَا وَأَفْضَلُنَا فَضْلاً وَأَعْظَمُنَا طَوْلاً فَقَالَ قُولُوا بِقَوْلِكُمْ أَوْ بَعْضِ قَوْلِكُمْ وَلاَ يَسْتَجْرِيَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ