What! has He taken daughters to Himself of what He Himself creates and chosen you to have sons? 16 And when any of them is given the good tidings of that he has likened to the All-merciful, his face is darkened, and he chokes inwardly. 17 Do they assign to Allah one who grows up amidst ornaments and is not well-versed in the art of disputation? 18 And they appoint the angels, who are the bondmen of the Most Gracious, as females; were they present at the time of the angels’ creation? Their declaration will be now recorded and they will be questioned. 19 They say, "If the All Merciful had so willed, we would not have worshipped them." They have no knowledge of that. They are only conjecturing. 20 Had We, before sending the Quran, given them a book to which they now refer as an authority? 21 Rather, they say, "Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are in their footsteps [rightly] guided." 22 And similarly, whenever We sent a Herald of Warning before you (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) into any town, its wealthy people said, “We found our forefathers upon a religion, and we are behind their footsteps.” 23 ۞ The warner said: What! even though I bring you a better guidance than that which ye found your fathers upon? They said: verily in that wherewith ye are sent we are disbelievers. 24 So We requited them. Then see the nature of the consequence for the rejecters! 25