Or, has He taken daughters from those He has created for Himself and favored sons for you? 16 When one of them is given the glad news of the birth of a daughter, which they believe to be the only kind of child that the Beneficent God can have, his face blackens with anger. 17 And (do they chose for Him) one who is brought up among ornaments, and cannot express herself clearly in debate? 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, "If the All Merciful had so willed, we would not have worshipped them." They have no knowledge of that. They are only conjecturing. 20 Have We vouchsafed unto them any Book before this, so that they are to it holding fast? 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 ۞ 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 wreaked Our vengeance on them: now see what was the end of those who rejected [the Truth]! 25