What is the ruling on saying the phrase "except for the Messenger of Allah" to express rejection of offending the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him?

Scholars have differed on the ruling regarding the phrase "except the Messenger of Allah" (إلا رسول الله), with two opinions:

The first: Prohibition, because it begins with an exception without an antecedent, and it creates the illusion of accepting insult towards others besides the Messenger, peace be upon him, which is false.

The second: Permissibility, because the omission of the antecedent is well-known in the context of Arabic speech, and the intended meaning is clear to both speaker and listener. This meaning is to express that insults against the Messenger, peace be upon him, cannot be tolerated, unlike other insults that might be overlooked. The exception here is not literal but signifies emphasis and concern. It does not imply approval of insulting Allah, the prophets, or others whose sanctity must be upheld, as they are not originally included in the context of the phrase.

Conclusion: There is no harm in uttering the phrase "except the Messenger of Allah" as it is linguistically sound and its meaning is clear through circumstantial evidence. It does not imply approval of mockery towards Allah, the prophets, or anyone else.