Or has He taken from those He has created daughters for Himself, and assigned sons to you? 16 And when one of them is given news of that of which he sets up as a likeness for the Beneficent Allah, his face becomes black and he is full of rage. 17 ["Do you ascribe to God] one who is brought up among ornaments and who cannot produce a cogent argument?" 18 Yet they have made the angels, who are creatures of Ar-Rahman, females. Did they witness their creation? We shall record their testimony, and they will be interrogated. 19 And they say: If the Beneficent Allah had pleased, we should never have worshipped them. They have no knowledge of this; they only lie. 20 Or did We bring them a Book aforetime to which they hold? 21 No, but they say: 'We found our fathers following a creed, and by following in their footsteps we are guided. 22 Whenever We sent a messenger before you to warn a township, the affluent among them said, in the same way, "We saw our fathers following this tradition; we are only following in their footsteps." 23 ۞ [Whereupon each prophet] would say: "Why, even though I bring you guidance better than that which you found your forefathers believing in?" - [to which] the others would reply, "Behold, we deny that there is any truth in [what you claim to be] your messages!" 24 And so We inflicted Our retribution on them: and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the truth! 25