Tafseer of Those drawn up in Ranks · As-Saaffaat · 37:149
So inquire of them, [O Muhammad], "Does your Lord have daughters while they have sons?
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
His statement ( فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْ ) ("So ask them their opinion"): the Exalted, whose praise is proclaimed, says to His Prophet Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: ask, O Muḥammad, the polytheists (mushrikīn) of your people from the Quraysh.
As Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda ( فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْ أَلِرَبِّكَ الْبَنَاتُ وَلَهُمُ الْبَنُونَ ) ("So ask them their opinion: does your Lord have daughters while they have sons?"): he means the polytheists of the Quraysh.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His statement ( فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْ أَلِرَبِّكَ الْبَنَاتُ وَلَهُمُ الْبَنُونَ ), he said: ask them. And he recited: وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ ("And they ask you for a ruling"), he said: they ask you.
Muḥammad related to us, he said: Aḥmad related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī ( فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْ ), he says: O Muḥammad, ask them.
And His statement ( أَلِرَبِّكَ الْبَنَاتُ وَلَهُمُ الْبَنُونَ ) ("Does your Lord have daughters while they have sons?"): it is mentioned that the polytheists of the Quraysh used to say: the angels are the daughters of Allah, and they worshipped them. Therefore Allah said to His Prophet Muḥammad, upon him be blessing and peace: ask them, and say to them: does my Lord have the daughters and do you have the sons?
And in the manner of what we have said concerning this, the scholars of exegesis spoke.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda ( أَلِرَبِّكَ الْبَنَاتُ وَلَهُمُ الْبَنُونَ )? Because they — that is, the polytheists of the Quraysh — said: to Allah the daughters, and to themselves the sons.
Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His statement ( فَاسْتَفْتِهِمْ أَلِرَبِّكَ الْبَنَاتُ وَلَهُمُ الْبَنُونَ ), he said: they worshipped the angels.
