Has He chosen daughters for Himself from His creation, and selected only sons for you? 16 When any of them is given the news of the very thing [i.e. a female child] which he himself has ascribed to the All Merciful, his face darkens and he is filled with grief -- 17 Hath He taken to Himself that which is reared in ornaments, and is in contention not plain? 18 And they make the angels, who are the slaves of the Beneficent, females. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded and they will be questioned. 19 They say: “Had the Merciful One so willed, we would never have worshipped these deities.” But they have no knowledge of the matter and are simply conjecturing. 20 Or did We bestow upon them a Book before on whose authority they are holding on (to angel-worship)? 21 No indeed! They say, "We have found our fathers following a certain course, and we are guided by their footsteps." 22 In the same way, whenever We had sent a Messenger before you to warn a town, the rich ones therein said, "We found our fathers following a certain belief and we follow in their footsteps. 23 ۞ Say: 'What, though I should bring you a better guidance than you found your fathers upon?' They say, 'We disbelieve in that you were sent with.' 24 So we took retribution from them; then see how was the end of the deniers. 25