احسن الله اليك Can you advise me with a balance on praising the family? How do we understand the statement “don’t praise each other” and the natural need to say nice comforting things to our wives and children? بارك الله فيكم

Ibn Ḥajar said: “This is a form of praise; however, since it is pure truth, and the person being praised is safe from self-admiration and arrogance, it is permissible to praise him with it, and such praise is not included in the prohibition. Among the examples of this are the previously mentioned aḥādīth about the virtues of the Companions, and the descriptions of each of them with the fine qualities attributed to them.”