Has Allah taken for Himself daughters out of those whom He creates and has chosen you to have sons? 16 (They believe so although when) any of them is given tidings of the birth of a female child the like of which he assigns to the Merciful One, his countenance darkens and he is choked with grief. 17 (As such they attribute to Allah) who is brought up among ornaments but when disputes arise are powerless. 18 Yet they have made the angels, who are creatures of Ar-Rahman, females. Did they witness their creation? We shall record their testimony, and they will be interrogated. 19 And they say, “If the Most Gracious had willed, we would not have worshipped them!” They do not know its truth at all; they only make guesses. 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 And thus it is: whenever We sent, before thy time, a warner to any community, those of its people who had lost themselves entirely in the pursuit of pleasures would always say: "Behold, we found our forefathers agreed on what to believe - and verily, it is but in their footsteps that we follow!" 23 ۞ Each Prophet asked them: “Will you do so even if we were to show you a way better than the way of your forefathers?” They answered: “We disbelieve in the religion with which you have been sent.” 24 So We took revenge from them – therefore see what sort of fate befell those who denied! 25