Surah As-Saffat — Verse 150

Word Meanings:

• أَمْ – This is an interrogative particle used for rebuke and criticism, meaning "Or" or "Did" in a challenging sense.
• خَلَقْنَا – "We created" – referring to Allah’s act of creation.
• الْمَلَائِكَةَ – "The angels" – the noble, honourable beings created from light.
• إِنَاثًا – "Females" – the claim made by the polytheists that angels are female.
• وَهُمْ شَاهِدُونَ – "While they were present/witnessing" – meaning were they present at the creation of the angels to testify to such a claim?

Explanation of the Verse:

In this verse, Allah continues His decisive refutation of the polytheists' false claim that the angels are Allah's daughters. After exposing the absurdity of their belief, Allah poses a powerful rhetorical question that leaves them with no room for argument: "Or did We create the angels as females while they were witnessing?"

The meaning is: How can you, O polytheists, assert that the angels are female when you were not present at the moment of their creation? You did not witness how they were made, nor did you have any knowledge of the unseen. You are making a claim about something you have absolutely no knowledge of, and you have no evidence whatsoever to support it – neither from revelation, nor from reason, nor from direct observation.

This verse is a stinging rebuke that exposes the emptiness of their argument. If they were to be honest, they would have to admit that they never saw the angels being created, nor did any prophet or messenger inform them of such a thing. Their claim is pure conjecture and fabrication, stemming from their own flawed reasoning and blind following of their ancestors.

The verse also carries a deeper lesson: it highlights the noble status of angels in Islam. The angels are honoured servants of Allah, obedient to His commands, and they are not to be described with attributes that diminish their rank. Describing them as female was a way for the polytheists to justify their worship of them as "daughters of Allah" – a belief that is both intellectually baseless and spiritually corrupt.

A Da'wah Reflection:

This verse invites every seeker of truth to reflect on the importance of grounding one's beliefs in authentic knowledge rather than speculation and hearsay. The polytheists of Makkah built their entire religion on assumptions and guesses, yet when challenged, they could not produce a single piece of evidence. Islam, in contrast, calls humanity to worship Allah based on clear proofs, sound reasoning, and divine revelation.

How beautiful is the Quran in its method of argumentation! It does not simply reject falsehood; it dismantles it with logic and eloquence, leaving no doubt in the mind of the sincere seeker. If the angels – these magnificent creations of light who surround the Throne of Allah and carry out His commands – are so honoured in Islam, how much more honoured is the human being who is invited to know his Creator and worship Him alone?

Let this verse be a reminder to us all: our faith is not built on blind assumptions, but on the firm foundation of divine guidance. And when we submit to Allah with sincerity and knowledge, we join the ranks of those who truly understand the purpose of their existence – to worship the One who created them, and to live a life of righteousness, peace, and devotion.