Or has He taken, out of what He has created, daughters and chosen you for [having] sons? 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 bondmen of the Compassionate females. Have they witnessed their creation? Their testimony will be written down, and they will be questioned. 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 Had We, before sending the Quran, given them a book to which they now refer as an authority? 21 Nay, for they say only: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are guided by their footprints. 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 ۞ 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 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