What is the ruling on saying: Allah and His Messenger, and what is besides them?

The conjunction of the pronoun referring to Allah and the pronoun referring to the Messenger is a point of contention among scholars. Supporters of its permissibility cite the hadith: "that Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than anything else," and others. Opponents, however, cite the hadith: "What a bad orator you are! Say: 'And whoever disobeys Allah the Almighty and His Messenger has gone astray.'" The reason for the disapproval in this instance is that the purpose of a sermon is elaboration and clarification. Qadi Iyad and others are of the view that the Prophet disapproved of the conjunction because it implies equality, and he commanded the use of the conjunction 'then' (ثُمَّ) as a way of glorifying Allah the Almighty by mentioning His Name first, as in his (peace be upon him) saying: "What Allah wills, then what so-and-so wills." Some scholars have suggested that the disapproval was due to the orator being perceived as believing in equality. Therefore, it is preferable to avoid conjoining the pronouns, to steer clear of controversy and out of reverence for Allah. The more appropriate phrasing is: "other than Allah and His Messenger," meaning, besides Allah and His Messenger.