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212
THE QUR'ÂN.
XLIII, 14-23.
Yet they make for Him of His servants offspring ; verily, man is surely obviously ungrateful.
[15] Has He taken of what He creates daughters, and chosen sons for you?
Yet when the tidings are given any one of that which he strikes out as a similitude for the Merciful One, his face grows black and he is choked. What! one brought up amongst ornaments, and who is always in contention without obvious cause ? ?
And have they made the angels, who are the servants of the Merciful One, females ? Were they witnesses of their creation ? their witness shall be written down, and they shall be questioned ; and they say, 'Had the Merciful pleased we should never have worshipped them. They have no knowledge of that, they only conjecture.
[20] Have we given them a books before it to which they might hold ?
Nay; they say, 'We found our fathers (agreed) upon a religion, and, verily, we are guided by their traces.'
Thus, too, did we never send before thee to a city any warner, but the affluent ones thereof said, "Verily, we found our fathers (agreed upon a religion, and, verily, we are led by their traces.'
Say, 'What! if I come to you with what is a better guide than what ye found your fathers agreed upon ?' and they will say, “Verily, we in what ye are sent with disbelieve !"
* I.e. of the birth of a daughter, see Part I, p. 256, note 2.
I. e. what I do they assign children of this kind, viz. daughters, to God?
s I.e. a scripture authorising the practice of their religion, such as the worship of angels and the ascribing of daughters to God.
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