وَجَعَلُوا۟ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عِبَـٰدُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ إِنَـٰثًا ۚ أَشَهِدُوا۟ خَلْقَهُمْ ۚ سَتُكْتَبُ شَهَـٰدَتُهُمْ وَيُسْـَٔلُونَ 19
Translations
And they described the angels, who are servants of the Most Merciful, as females. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned.
Transliteration
Wa ja'alū al-malā'ikah alladhīn hum 'ibād ar-raḥmān ināthā. A shahidū khalqahum. Satukhtab shahādatuhum wa yus'alūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rebukes the pre-Islamic Arabs who attributed female genders to the angels and made them daughters of Allah. The verse challenges their absurd claim by asking whether they witnessed the creation of these angels, implying they have no evidence for such a belief. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this represents both theological error (denying Allah's transcendence) and logical fallacy (claiming knowledge of divine matters without witnessing them), and warns that their false testimony will be recorded and they will be questioned about it on the Day of Judgment.
Revelation Context
This ayah addresses the pagan Arab practice of attributing children to Allah and identifying angels as female beings—specifically reflecting their worship practices where they associated angels (particularly Lat, Uzza, and Manat) as daughters of God. The surah Az-Zukhruf focuses on refuting polytheistic practices and false beliefs prevalent among the Quraysh, making this ayah central to its polemic against shirk (associating partners with Allah).
Related Hadiths
The practice referenced is addressed in hadith collections regarding pre-Islamic beliefs. Related is the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned the angels as servants of Allah without gender attributes, contrasting with pagan beliefs. Additionally, hadiths in Sunan Ibn Majah discuss how the mushrikūn claimed the angels were daughters of Allah, which the Quran repeatedly refutes.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should not attribute to Allah or His creation what they have not witnessed or verified through revelation, and should recognize that all false claims and testimony will be held to account before Allah. This teaches the importance of basing beliefs on evidence from divine sources rather than cultural assumptions or inherited practices.
Related Ayahs
۞ قَـٰلَ أَوَلَوْ جِئْتُكُم بِأَهْدَىٰ مِمَّا وَجَدتُّمْ عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَكُمْ ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِۦ كَـٰفِرُونَ
[Each warner] said, "Even if I brought you better guidance than that [religion] upon which you found your fathers?" They said, "Indeed we, in that with which you were sent, are disbelievers."
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَـٰهُ قُرْءَٰنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
Indeed, We have made it an Arabic Qur’ān that you might understand.
أَهُمْ يَقْسِمُونَ رَحْمَتَ رَبِّكَ ۚ نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّعِيشَتَهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَـٰتٍ لِّيَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضًا سُخْرِيًّا ۗ وَرَحْمَتُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ
Do they distribute the mercy of your Lord? It is We who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world and have raised some of them above others in degrees [of rank] that they may make use of one another for service. But the mercy of your Lord is better than whatever they accumulate.
وَلَوْلَآ أَن يَكُونَ ٱلنَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَٰحِدَةً لَّجَعَلْنَا لِمَن يَكْفُرُ بِٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِّن فِضَّةٍ وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ
And if it were not that the people would become one community [of disbelievers], We would have made for those who disbelieve in the Most Merciful - for their houses - ceilings and stairways of silver upon which to mount.