Surah 21:26

"They say, ‘The Merciful has taken a son.’ Glory to Him! No! (They are) honored servants."

Christian Footnotes (1)Islamic Commentaries (1)Manuscripts (44)

The Refutation of Those Who claim that the Angels are the Daughters of Allah; description of their Deeds and Status Verses 21:26-29

Show Full Scripture Context (21:26-29) — 4 Verses

Verse 26

وَقَالُواْ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُ وَلَدٗاۗ سُبۡحَٰنَهُۥۚ بَلۡ عِبَادٞ مُّكۡرَمُونَ

They say, ‘The Merciful has taken a son.’ Glory to Him! No! (They are) honored servants.

Verse 27

لَا يَسۡبِقُونَهُۥ بِٱلۡقَوۡلِ وَهُم بِأَمۡرِهِۦ يَعۡمَلُونَ

They do not precede Him in speech, but they act on His command.

Verse 28

يَعۡلَمُ مَا بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَمَا خَلۡفَهُمۡ وَلَا يَشۡفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ٱرۡتَضَىٰ وَهُم مِّنۡ خَشۡيَتِهِۦ مُشۡفِقُونَ

He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they do not intercede, except for the one whom He approves, and they are apprehensive because of fear of Him.

Verse 29

۞وَمَن يَقُلۡ مِنۡهُمۡ إِنِّيٓ إِلَٰهٞ مِّن دُونِهِۦ فَذَٰلِكَ نَجۡزِيهِ جَهَنَّمَۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجۡزِي ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

Whoever of them says, ‘Surely I am a god instead of Him,’ We repay that one with Gehenna. In this way We repay the evildoers.

Here Allah refutes those who claim that He has offspring among the angels - exalted and sanctified be He. Some of the Arabs believed that the angels were the daughters of Allah, but Allah says:

Quoted Scripture

"Glory to Him! They are but honored servants."

meaning, the angels are servants of Allah who are honored by Him and who hold high positions of noble status. They obey Him to the utmost in all their words and deeds.

Quoted Scripture

"They speak not until He has spoken, and they act on His command."

meaning, they do not initiate any matter before Him or go against His commands; on the contrary, they hasten to do as He commands, and He encompasses them with His knowledge so that nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him.

Quoted Scripture

"He knows what is before them, and what is behind them,"

"and they cannot intercede except for him xoith xvhom He is pleased."

This is like the Ayat.

{Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission?} [2:255]

{intercession with Him profits not except for him whom He permits} [34:23].

There are many Ayat which say similar things.

{And they for fear of Him} means, because they fear Him.

Quoted Scripture

"And they stand in awe. And if any of them should say : "Verily, I am a god besides Him,""

meaning, whoever claims to be a god instead of Allah, i.e., alongside Allah,

Quoted Scripture

"smc/i We should recompense with Hell. Thus We recompense the wrongdoers."

meaning, everyone who says this. This is a conditional sentence, and the condition stated does not necessarily have to take place. This is like the Ayat

{Say: "If the Most Gracious had a son, then I am the first of worshippers."} [43:81]

{lf you join others in worship with Allah, (then) surely, (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers.} [39:65]

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.

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