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Is it permissible for a man to say, "You are good/kind" (أنت طيب) or "O good/kind one" (يا طيب), "You are generous" (أنت كريم) or "O generous one" (يا كريم), "You are mighty/dear" (أنت عزيز) or "O mighty/dear one" (يا عزيز), or are these attributes to be said only for Allah the Almighty?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

There is no harm in addressing a person with common names that are attributed to Allah and to others, such as the names "Ali," "Rashid," "Badi'," and "Rahim," whether as a given name or a title, unless it is done by way of flattery and excessive, untruthful praise. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade excessive praise, saying: "When you see those who excessively praise (others), throw dust in their faces." This prohibition is understood to apply to exaggerated praise or to those for whom there is a fear of falling into conceit. As for those for whom there is no such fear, there is no prohibition in praising them if it does not involve exaggeration; rather, it may be desirable if it serves a benefit.

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

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