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How do we reconcile the prohibition against self-praise in the Almighty’s saying: {So do not claim yourselves to be pure} (Quran 53:32), with the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying: "By Allah, I am indeed the one who fears Allah the most among you, and is the most pious among you"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

There is no contradiction between the noble verse and the hadith. The prohibition against praising oneself applies to those who praise themselves out of boastfulness or for qualities they do not possess. However, one who praises oneself out of gratitude or to clarify their merit so that they may be emulated is not forbidden from doing so. The verse: "So do not تزكوا (praise/purify) yourselves; He is most knowing of who is righteous" means do not praise yourselves and boast about your deeds. There are cases where praising oneself is permissible due to need, such as averting harm, achieving a benefit, or encouraging the acquisition of knowledge, as Yusuf, Uthman, and Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them) did.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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