Sunan Abi Dawud 4805
سنن أبي داود#4805Sahihحَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو شِهَابٍ، عَنْ خَالِدٍ الْحَذَّاءِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، أَثْنَى عَلَى رَجُلٍ عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم 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 " .
Abu Bakrah said that when a man praised another man in his face in the presence of the Prophet (ﷺ) said :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
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 43:33