Quran Universe
17:40

أَفَأَصۡفَىٰكُمۡ رَبُّكُم بِٱلۡبَنِينَ وَٱتَّخَذَ مِنَ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِنَٰثًاۚ إِنَّكُمۡ لَتَقُولُونَ قَوۡلًا عَظِيمٗا

Afaasfakum rabbukum bialbaneena waittakhatha mina almalaikati inathan innakum lataqooloona qawlan AAatheeman

Then, has your Lord chosen you for [having] sons and taken from among the angels daughters? Indeed, you say a grave saying.

Word by word
  1. أَفَأَصۡفَىٰكُمۡThen has your Lord chosen (for) you
  2. رَبُّكُمThen has your Lord chosen (for) you
  3. بِٱلۡبَنِينَsons
  4. وَٱتَّخَذَand He has taken
  5. مِنَfrom
  6. ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِthe Angels
  7. إِنَٰثًاۚdaughters
  8. إِنَّكُمۡIndeed,you
  9. لَتَقُولُونَsurely say
  10. قَوۡلًاa word
  11. عَظِيمٗاgrave
Al-Isra · 17:40Makkah

Sons for you, and daughters for Him? A grave thing to say.

Exposing an unfair claim about Allah

Their claim
for themselvessons, which they prized
for Allahangels as daughters
is
a grave sayingwrong three ways
What they got wrong
Allah has children
angels are servantsof the Most Merciful

The idolaters of Makkah claimed the angels were daughters of Allah and worshipped them. Ibn Kathir says they were wrong on three counts: giving Allah children, making them female, and worshipping them. They gave Allah what they disliked for themselves. The angels are servants of the Most Merciful.

Notice how easy it is to keep the best for yourself and hand Allah the leftovers. The best hours for work, the tired minutes for prayer. The verse asks what you are giving Him.

Allah gets whatever time and energy I have left over.

Allah deserves the best of me, not what I would not want for myself.

Try this

Give one prayer today your fresh attention, before the phone, not after.

Related19:88
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Has then your Lord preferred for you sons, and taken for Himself from among the angels daughters? Verily, you indeed utter an awful saying (40)

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 الْمَلَائِكَةِ 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 قَوْلًا 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:

وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وَلَدًا - لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْئًا إِدًّا - تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الْأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدًّا - أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ وَلَدًا - وَمَا يَنبَغِي لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا - إِن كُلُّ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِلَّا آتِي الرَّحْمَٰنِ عَبْدًا - لَّقَدْ أَحْصَاهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا - وَكُلُّهُمْ آتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَرْدًا

(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)