What! has He taken daughters out of what He himself creates, and granted to you sons for choice? 16 And if one of them is informed of the news of (the birth of) that which he set forth as a parable to the Most Beneficent (Allah) (i.e. of a girl), his face becomes dark, gloomy, and he is filled with grief! 17 (As such they attribute to Allah) who is brought up among ornaments but when disputes arise are powerless. 18 And they make the angels who are the bondmen of the Compassionate females. Have they witnessed their creation? Their testimony will be written down, and they will be questioned. 19 The pagans say, "Had the Beneficent God wanted, we would not have worshipped them (idols)." Whatever they say is not based on knowledge. It is only a false conjecture. 20 Have We vouchsafed unto them any Book before this, so that they are to it holding fast? 21 Nay! they say: We found our fathers on a course, and surely we are guided by their footsteps. 22 Even so We sent never before thee any warner into any city, except that its men who lived at ease said, 'We indeed found our fathers upon a community, and we are following upon their traces.' 23 ۞ (The warner) said: What! even if I bring to you a better guide than that on which you found your fathers? They said: Surely we are unbelievers in that with which you are sent. 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