Or [do you think,] perchance, that out of all His creation He has chosen for Himself daughters, and favoured you with sons? 16 Yet when news of waht they had reserved for Ar-Rahman comes to one of them, his face is blackened, and he grieves in silence inwardly. 17 What, one who is reared amid ornaments and, when the time of altercation comes, is not to be seen? 18 They claim that the angels, who are themselves the worshipers of the Merciful, are females. Did they witness their creation! Their witness shall be written down and they shall be questioned. 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 Or have We given them a book before the Qur'an to which they are adhering? 21 Nay, for they say only: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are guided by their footprints. 22 And in this wise We sent not before thee into any city a warner but the affluent thereof said: verily we! we found our fathers on a certain way and verily their footsteps we are following. 23 ۞ Say: 'What then if I bring you a better guidance than that you found your fathers following' But they reply: 'We disbelieve in that you have been sent with.' 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