Or [do you think,] perchance, that out of all His creation He has chosen for Himself daughters, and favoured you with sons? 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 Can one who has been raised on ornaments and cannot present her case coolly in a dispute (be associated with God?) 18 They consider the angels, God's servants, to be female. Did they witness their creation? Their claim will be put on record and they will be questioned about it. 19 They say, "If the All Merciful had so willed, we would not have worshipped them." They have no knowledge of that. They are only conjecturing. 20 Or did We bestow upon them a Book before on whose authority they are holding on (to angel-worship)? 21 Nay! they say: verily we have found our fathers on a certain way, and verily by their footsteps we are guided. 22 And thus it is: whenever We sent any warner to a city its affluent ones said: “We found our forefathers on a way and we continue to follow in their footsteps.” 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 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