He was asked:

Concerning the statement of the preacher Ibn Nubāta, “I disclaim might and power, except unto Him”: some people objected to this, saying that it would be correct only if the exception were omitted, so that one said, “I disclaim might and power unto Him.” Those who defended the preacher’s wording cited Allah’s words:

“Indeed, I am free of what you worship,”

“Except the One who created me, for He will surely guide me.”

Was the objector correct or not?

He answered:

The preacher’s statement is correct in the meaning he intended. The other person’s proposed omission of the exception also conveys a valid, though different, meaning.

For when someone says, “I have disclaimed might and power unto Him,” the meaning is, “Before Him, I have disclaimed my own might and power”—that is, any claim to might and power of my own. This resembles the expression, “I have cleared myself of the debt owed to so-and-so,” which Thaʿlab mentions in his al-Fasīh. Its meaning is, “I have cleared myself before him of this.” Another example is Allah’s statement:

“On the Day He calls to them and says, ‘Where are those partners of Mine whom you used to claim?’”

“Those against whom the sentence has been passed will say, ‘Our Lord, these are the ones we led astray. We led them astray just as we ourselves went astray. We declare our disavowal before You; it was not us they worshipped.’”

Another example is the Prophet’s statement, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“O Allah, I declare before You that I disavow what Khālid has done.”

Likewise, the Ansārī said on the day of Uhud, “O Allah, I declare before You that I disavow what these people have done,” meaning the polytheists.