Or has He taken, out of what He has created, daughters and chosen you for [having] 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 What! that which is made in ornaments and which in contention is unable to make plain speech! 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 said: "If it had been the Will of the Most Beneficent (Allah), we should not have worshipped them (false deities)." They have no knowledge whatsoever of that. They do nothing but lie! 20 Or have We given them some Book before this, to which they hold fast? 21 Rather they said, “We found our forefathers upon a religion, and we are following their footsteps.” 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 ۞ (And the warner) said: What! Even though I bring you better guidance than that ye found your fathers following? They answered: Lo! in what ye bring we are disbelievers. 24 So We inflicted retribution on them, then see how was the end of the rejecters. 25