Al-Isra 17:40
The Night Journey · Juz 15 · Page 286
أَفَأَصۡفَىٰكُمۡ رَبُّكُم بِٱلۡبَنِينَ وَٱتَّخَذَ مِنَ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِنَٰثًاۚ إِنَّكُمۡ لَتَقُولُونَ قَوۡلًا عَظِيمٗا ٤٠
Then, has your Lord chosen you for [having] sons and taken [i.e., adopted] from among the angels daughters? Indeed, you say a grave saying.
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Ibn Kathir (abridged)
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Commentary on 17:40
Refutation of Those Who claim that the Angels are Daughters of Allah
Allah refutes the lying idolators who claim, may the curse of Allah be upon them, that the angels are the daughters of Allah. They made the angels, who are the servants of Ar-Rahman (the Most Beneficent), females, and called them daughters of Allah, then they worshipped them. They were gravely wrong on all three counts. Allah says, denouncing them:
أَفَأَصْفَكُمْ رَبُّكُم بِالْبَنِينَ
(Has then your Lord preferred for you sons,) meaning, has He given only you sons
وَاتَّخَذَ مِنَ الْمَلَئِكَةِ إِنَاثًا
(and taken for Himself from among the angels daughters) meaning, has He chosen for Himself, as you claim, daughters Then Allah denounces them even more severely, and says:
إِنَّكُمْ لَتَقُولُونَ قَوْلاً عَظِيمًا
(Verily, you indeed utter an awful saying.) meaning, in your claim that Allah has children, then you say that His children are female, which you do not like for yourselves and may even kill them by burying them alive. That is indeed a division most unfair! Allah says:
وَقَالُواْ اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَلَداً - لَقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْئاً إِدّاً - تَكَادُ السَّمَوَتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الاٌّرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدّاً - أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَلَداً - وَمَا يَنبَغِى لِلرَّحْمَنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَداً - إِن كُلُّ مَن فِى السَّمَوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ إِلاَّ آتِى الرَّحْمَنِ عَبْداً - لَّقَدْ أَحْصَهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدّاً - وَكُلُّهُمْ ءَاتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَمَةِ فَرْداً
(And they say: "The Most Beneficent (Allah) has begotten a child." Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing. Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins. That they ascribe a son child to the Most Beneficent. But it is not suitable for (the majesty of) the Most Beneficent that he should beget a child. There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Beneficent as a servant. Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. And every one of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection.) (19:88-95)
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17:39
ذَٰلِكَ مِمَّآ أَوۡحَىٰٓ إِلَيۡكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ ٱلۡحِكۡمَةِۗ وَلَا تَجۡعَلۡ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتُلۡقَىٰ فِي جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومٗا مَّدۡحُورًا ٣٩
That is from what your Lord has revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], of wisdom. And, [O mankind], do not make [as equal] with Allāh another deity, lest you be thrown into Hell, blamed and banished.
17:40
أَفَأَصۡفَىٰكُمۡ رَبُّكُم بِٱلۡبَنِينَ وَٱتَّخَذَ مِنَ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِنَٰثًاۚ إِنَّكُمۡ لَتَقُولُونَ قَوۡلًا عَظِيمٗا ٤٠
Then, has your Lord chosen you for [having] sons and taken [i.e., adopted] from among the angels daughters? Indeed, you say a grave saying.
17:41
وَلَقَدۡ صَرَّفۡنَا فِي هَٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ لِيَذَّكَّرُواْ وَمَا يَزِيدُهُمۡ إِلَّا نُفُورٗا ٤١
And We have certainly diversified [the contents] in this Qur’ān that they [i.e., mankind] may be reminded, but it does not increase them [i.e., the disbelievers] except in aversion.
17:42
قُل لَّوۡ كَانَ مَعَهُۥٓ ءَالِهَةٞ كَمَا يَقُولُونَ إِذٗا لَّٱبۡتَغَوۡاْ إِلَىٰ ذِي ٱلۡعَرۡشِ سَبِيلٗا ٤٢
Say, [O Muḥammad], "If there had been with Him [other] gods, as they say, then they [each] would have sought to the Owner of the Throne a way."1
1 translator’s note
- To please Him, recognizing His superiority. Another interpretation is "...they would seek a way" to depose Him (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) and take over His Throne. ↩
17:43
سُبۡحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ عُلُوّٗا كَبِيرٗا ٤٣
Exalted is He and high above what they say by great sublimity.
17:44
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتُ ٱلسَّبۡعُ وَٱلۡأَرۡضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّۚ وَإِن مِّن شَيۡءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمۡدِهِۦ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تَفۡقَهُونَ تَسۡبِيحَهُمۡۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورٗا ٤٤
The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them exalt Him. And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allāh] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever Forbearing1 and Forgiving.
1 translator’s note
- Refer to footnote in 2:225. ↩
17:45
وَإِذَا قَرَأۡتَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ جَعَلۡنَا بَيۡنَكَ وَبَيۡنَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ حِجَابٗا مَّسۡتُورٗا ٤٥
And when you recite the Qur’ān, We put between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter a concealed partition.1
1 translator’s note
- Preventing guidance from reaching them. ↩
17:46
وَجَعَلۡنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمۡ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفۡقَهُوهُ وَفِيٓ ءَاذَانِهِمۡ وَقۡرٗاۚ وَإِذَا ذَكَرۡتَ رَبَّكَ فِي ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ وَحۡدَهُۥ وَلَّوۡاْ عَلَىٰٓ أَدۡبَٰرِهِمۡ نُفُورٗا ٤٦
And We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And when you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’ān, they turn back in aversion.
17:47
نَّحۡنُ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَا يَسۡتَمِعُونَ بِهِۦٓ إِذۡ يَسۡتَمِعُونَ إِلَيۡكَ وَإِذۡ هُمۡ نَجۡوَىٰٓ إِذۡ يَقُولُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا رَجُلٗا مَّسۡحُورًا ٤٧
We are most knowing of how they listen to it when they listen to you and [of] when they are in private conversation, when the wrongdoers say, "You follow not but a man affected by magic."
17:48
ٱنظُرۡ كَيۡفَ ضَرَبُواْ لَكَ ٱلۡأَمۡثَالَ فَضَلُّواْ فَلَا يَسۡتَطِيعُونَ سَبِيلٗا ٤٨
Look how they strike for you comparisons;1 but they have strayed, so they cannot [find] a way.
1 translator’s note
- Describing the Prophet (ﷺ) as a poet, a madman or one under the influence of sorcery. ↩
17:49
وَقَالُوٓاْ أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَٰمٗا وَرُفَٰتًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبۡعُوثُونَ خَلۡقٗا جَدِيدٗا ٤٩
And they say, "When we are bones and crumbled particles, will we [truly] be resurrected as a new creation?"