Or has He taken from those He has created daughters for Himself, and assigned sons to you? 16 When news is brought to one of them of (the birth of) what he sets up as a likeness to (Allah) Most Gracious, his face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief! 17 So is one brought up in ornaments while being during conflict unevident [attributed to Allah]? 18 They claim that angels, who are Allah's chosen servants, are females. Did they witness how their body is constituted? Their testimony shall be written and they shall be called to account. 19 And they say: If the Beneficent One had (so) willed, we should not have worshipped them. They have no knowledge whatsoever of that. They do but guess. 20 Had We, before sending the Quran, given them a book to which they now refer as an authority? 21 No, but they say: 'We found our fathers following a creed, and by following in their footsteps we are guided. 22 Just in the same way, whenever We sent a Warner before thee to any people, the wealthy ones among them said: "We found our fathers following a certain religion, and we will certainly follow in their footsteps." 23 ۞ Each messenger said, "What if I should bring you better guidance than what you found your forefathers had?" They replied, "We reject any message you have been sent with!" 24 So we took retribution from them; then see how was the end of the deniers. 25