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What is the ruling on saying: "Exalted be Allah and His Messenger above what they attribute (to Him/Them)" when afflicted with obsessive religious doubts (waswas al-aqida)?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The common expression in the Holy Qur'an is the attribution of transcendence (ta'ali) to Allah alone, meaning the purification, sanctification, and magnification of Allah from anything unfitting for Him, such as taking a son or having a partner. However, if the context does not pertain to the مقام (station) of divinity and Lordship, there is no objection to mentioning the Prophet (peace be upon him) with transcendence. Some scholars have used this style, such as Al-Kawakibi in his book "Umm Al-Qura": "Exalted be Allah and His Messenger above what they fabricate." It is advised to treat intrusive thoughts about creed by saying: "I believe in Allah."

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

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