Ash-Shaykh Yahya al-Hajooree, may Allah preserve him, was asked the following question.

Question: 

What is the definite factor of being excessive or negligent in praising the scholars and what is the intermediate way in doing that?

Answer:

The right way for that is to treat everyone according to their level and to beware of excessiveness and extremism, as al-Mu’alamee said ‘From the widest points of falsehood is being extreme in the noble ones’ and Ibn Hazm said ‘whosoever is put in other than his level then indeed he has been exceedingly dispraised’. Overpraising a person is (in reality) dishonesty to the Muslims and likewise being negligent regarding the right of a scholar to the extent that he begins to show no interest in him and in his knowledge, and by keeping the people far from him. This is dishonesty, deception and oppression…”

The Reference: Ath-Thawaabit al-Manhajiyyah, page 18, print: al-Kitaab was-Sunnah.

~ Abu Fajr AbdulFattaah bin Uthman