Or chooseth He daughters of all that He hath created, and honoureth He you with sons? 16 And if one of them hath tidings of that which he likeneth to the Beneficent One, his countenance becometh black and he is full of inward rage. 17 What, one who is reared amid ornaments and, when the time of altercation comes, is not to be seen? 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 Yet they say: "Had [not] the Most Gracious so willed, we would never have worshipped them!" [But] they cannot have any knowledge of [His having willed] such a thing: they do nothing but guess. 20 Or did We bestow upon them a Book before on whose authority they are holding on (to angel-worship)? 21 No indeed! They say, "We have found our fathers following a certain course, and 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 ۞ (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