Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Isra Verse 40

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Is it, then, that your Lord has chosen you people to have sons, and has Himself opted for females from among the angels? Surely, you are uttering a serious statement.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Has your Lord favoured you ˹pagans˺ with sons and taken angels as ˹His˺ daughters?[[ Some pagans had the belief that the angels are the daughters of Allah. ]] You are truly making an outrageous claim.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Has your Lord favored you with sons and has taken for Himself angels as daughters? You are indeed making a monstrous claim.

A. J. Arberry

What, has your Lord favoured you with sons and taken to Himself from the angels females? Surely it is a monstrous thing you are saying!

Abdul Haleem

What? Has your Lord favoured you people with sons and taken daughters for Himself from the angels?What a monstrous thing for you to say!

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Hath then your Lord distinguished you with sons and taken for Himself females from among the angels? Verily ye say a saying mighty?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Has then your Lord (O Pagans!) preferred for you sons, and taken for Himself daughters among the angels? Truly ye utter a most dreadful saying!

Abul Ala Maududi

What, has your Lord favoured you with sons and has taken for Himself daughters from among the angels? You are indeed uttering a monstrous lie.

Ahmed Ali

Has God chosen to give you sons, and taken for Himself daughters from among the angels? You utter grievous things indeed!

Ahmed Raza Khan

Has your Lord chosen sons for you, and created daughters for Himself from among the angels? Indeed you utter a profound word!

Ali Quli Qarai

Did your Lord prefer you for sons, and [Himself] adopt females from among the angels? Indeed, you say a monstrous word!

Ali Ünal

Has, then, your Lord distinguished you (O unbelievers) by preferring for you sons, and taken for Himself from among the angels daughters? Most certainly you utter an awful, horrendous saying.

Amatul Rahman Omar

(Disbelievers!) has your Lord favoured you with sons and chosen for Himself daughters from among the angels? Surely, most grievous is the blasphemy you utter.

English Literal

Did your Lord choose/purify (specialize) you with the sons, and He took/received from the angels females? That you are saying (E) a great saying/word/opinion and belief.

Faridul Haque

Has your Lord chosen sons for you, and created daughters for Himself from among the angels? Indeed you utter a profound word!

Hamid S. Aziz

What! Has your Lord preferred for you sons, and taken for Himself daughters from among the angels? Truly, you are uttering a dreadful saying.

Hilali & Khan

Has then your Lord (O pagans of Makkah) preferred for you sons, and taken for Himself from among the angels daughters. Verily! You utter an awful saying, indeed.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

This is of the wisdom which thy Lord has revealed to thee. And associate not any other god with Allah lest thou be thrown into hell, blamed, cast away.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

What! has then your Lord preferred to give you sons, and (for Himself) taken daughters from among the angels? Most surely you utter a grievous saying.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Hath your Lord then distinguished you (O men of Makka) by giving you sons, and hath chosen for Himself females from among the angels? Lo! verily ye speak an awful word!

Muhammad Sarwar

(Pagans) has your Lord given you preference over Himself by granting you sons and taking the angels as His own daughters? What you say is a monstrous utterance.

Qaribullah & Darwish

What! Has your Lord favored you with sons and taken to Himself females from among the angels? Indeed, you utter a monstrous thing!

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Has then your Lord preferred for you sons, and taken for Himself from among the angels daughters Verily, you indeed utter an awful saying.

Wahiduddin Khan

What! Has your Lord then favoured you with sons and Himself adopted females from among the angels? What you say is monstrous.

Talal Itani

Has your Lord favored you with sons, while choosing for Himself daughters from among the angels? You are indeed saying a terrible thing.

Tafsir jalalayn

Has your Lord then preferred you, has He distinguished you [exclusively], O Meccans, with sons and chosen for Himself females from among the angels?, as daughters for Himself, in the way that you [are wont to] claim. Truly, by [saying] this, you are speaking a monstrous word!

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Refutation of Those Who claim that the Angels are Daughters of Allah

Allah refutes the lying idolators who claim, may the curse of Allah be upon them, that the angels are the daughters of Allah. They made the angels, who are the servants of Ar-Rahman (the Most Beneficent), females, and called them daughters of Allah, then they worshipped them. They were gravely wrong on all three counts.

Allah says, denouncing them;

أَفَأَصْفَاكُمْ رَبُّكُم بِالْبَنِينَ

Has then your Lord preferred for you sons,

meaning, has He given only you sons!

وَاتَّخَذَ مِنَ الْمَليِكَةِ إِنَاثًا

and taken for Himself from among the angels daughters.

meaning, has He chosen for Himself, as you claim, daughters.

Then Allah denounces them even more severely, and says;

إِنَّكُمْ لَتَقُولُونَ قَوْلاً عَظِيمًا



Verily, you indeed utter an awful saying.

meaning, in your claim that Allah has children, then you say that His children are female, which you do not like for yourselves and may even kill them by burying them alive. That is indeed a division most unfair!

Allah says;

وَقَالُواْ اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَـنُ وَلَداً

لَقَدْ جِيْتُمْ شَيْياً إِدّاً

تَكَادُ السَّمَـوَتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الاٌّرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدّاً

أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَـنِ وَلَداً

وَمَا يَنبَغِى لِلرَّحْمَـنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَداً

إِن كُلُّ مَن فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ إِلاَّ اتِى الرَّحْمَـنِ عَبْداً

لَّقَدْ أَحْصَـهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدّاً

وَكُلُّهُمْ ءَاتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ فَرْداً

And they say;"The Most Beneficent (Allah) has begotten a child."

Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing. Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins.

That they ascribe a son child to the Most Beneficent. But it is not suitable for (the majesty of) the Most Beneficent that he should beget a child. There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Beneficent as a servant.

Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. And every one of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection. (19;88-95