Praise be to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.
It is not correct to use the unrestricted expression “Allah knows the limits of His power,” because Allah’s power is absolute, and there is no limit at which His power stops. However, if the speaker intends that Allah تعالى knows the reality and greatness of His power as it truly is, then the meaning in itself is correct, although the wording may suggest an incorrect meaning. Therefore, it is preferable to avoid it and use clearer expressions.
It is established in the Qur’an and Sunnah that Allah تعالى knows everything and is capable of all things, and that nothing can overpower or incapacitate Him.
Allah تعالى says:
“Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.” [Al-Baqarah: 20]
And He says:
“Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent?” [Al-Baqarah: 106]
And He says:
“Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” [Al-Baqarah: 117]
Thus, Allah سبحانه possesses perfect power and absolute authority, and nothing can incapacitate Him. His power does not end at a limit beyond which He would be unable to do something that is possible.
Al-Qurtubi رحمه الله said that Allah تعالى is capable and powerful over every possible thing that can exist or not exist.
The expression “the limits of His power” may suggest that Allah’s power has an endpoint at which it stops, or that there is a specific amount to which His power extends. This is incorrect.
Allah تعالى possesses absolute power and is not described as incapable in any respect, unlike the created being whose power is limited and restricted.
Therefore, scholars have affirmed that Allah’s power has no limit at which the perfection of His power stops.
Here, Allah’s statement:
“Indeed, Allah is over all things competent”
must be understood correctly. Things that are intrinsically impossible, such as combining two contradictions, are not actual things that fall within the realm of possible acts. Therefore, not doing something that is intrinsically impossible is not considered a deficiency in power.
As for the word “knows” (yaʿrif), the matter differs from describing Allah with regard to power.
The Names and Attributes of Allah are tawqīfī—that is, they are restricted to what is established in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Allah تعالى has described Himself with knowledge.
However, the category of informing about Allah is broader than the category of His Names and Attributes. Therefore, it is permissible to inform others about Allah using expressions whose meanings are sound, even if those expressions are not established as Names or Attributes used for naming Him.
It is reported in the Sunnah that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“But Allah knows, and He will judge between them.”
It is also reported that ʿUmar رضي الله عنه said:
“But Allah knows them.”
Thus, informing others that Allah knows or is aware—meaning that He has knowledge—is permissible in principle. However, one should not say “Al-ʿĀrif” (The Knower) or “Ad-Dārī” (The One Who Knows) as though these were established Names of Allah.
If the intended meaning is that Allah تعالى knows the greatness and reality of His power, it is better to use a clear expression such as:
These expressions are clearer and less likely to convey an incorrect meaning.
The expression “Allah knows the limits of His power” should not be used unrestrictedly, because its apparent meaning suggests that Allah’s power has limits and an endpoint, whereas Allah سبحانه possesses absolute power and nothing can incapacitate Him.
If, however, the speaker means by “knows” that Allah knows the reality and greatness of His power, then the meaning is correct. Nevertheless, the wording itself is ambiguous, so it is preferable to replace it with a clearer expression, such as: “Allah تعالى knows the reality of His power, and He is capable of all things.”
And Allah تعالى knows best.