ʿUrwah ibn Masʿūd once said to Quraysh, “My people, by Allah, I have visited Chosroes, Caesar, and many other kings, yet I have never seen a ruler whose companions venerate him as Muhammad’s Companions venerate Muhammad ﷺ. By Allah, out of reverence they dare not fix their gaze upon him. Whenever he spat, it would land in the hand of one of them, who would then rub it over his own face and chest. When he performed wudu (ritual ablution), they were on the verge of fighting over the water he used.” End of quotation (1).

2 – The prohibition of ghuluw (exaggeration) and itraʾ (undue praise) in praising him: Ghuluw means to overstep the proper bounds; one says ghalā ghuluwan when he exceeds the limit in degree. Allah, Most High, says: “Do not go to extremes in your religion” (Q 4:171), that is, do not exceed the limit.

Itraʾ denotes going beyond the bounds in praising and inventing false claims. What is meant by ghuluw regarding the Prophet ﷺ is to overstep the limits of his true rank—raising him above the station of servitude and messengership and assigning to him some of the exclusive prerogatives of the Divine, such as calling upon him, seeking his aid apart from Allah, or swearing an oath by him.