Surah An-Najm — Verse 27

Word Meanings:

• "لَيُسَمُّونَ" – They certainly name/call (with insistence and emphasis).
• "تَسْمِيَةَ الْأُنثَى" – The naming of females (i.e., they call them by feminine names and attribute femininity to them).

Tafsir (Explanation):

This verse exposes a profound error committed by the disbelievers of Arabia who denied the Hereafter. These people, who did not believe in the Day of Judgment or the accountability that comes with it, dared to give the angels – those noble and honored servants of Allah – feminine names and attributes. They claimed that the angels were daughters of Allah, a claim born of pure ignorance and false assumption.

Their denial of the Hereafter was not a minor matter; it was the root cause of their corrupted beliefs. Because they did not believe they would stand before their Lord for judgment, they felt no restraint in attributing to Allah the most inappropriate and false statements. They said, "The angels are Allah's daughters," and they called them by female names, as was their custom in their idolatrous culture.

This claim was utterly baseless. They had no knowledge, no revelation, and no rational proof to support such a statement. They were merely following their whims and conjectures – and conjecture can never substitute for truth. The Qur'an repeatedly emphasizes that following guesswork and assumptions without evidence is a path of misguidance, especially when it concerns the attributes of Allah and His creation.

A Da'wah Reflection:

This verse serves as a powerful reminder for us today. It teaches us the importance of speaking about Allah and His creation only with knowledge and certainty. How often do people today make claims about Allah, about religion, and about the unseen without any basis? The disbelievers of old were not merely mistaken – they were arrogant in their assumptions about the Most High.

The beauty of Islam lies in its call to certainty and knowledge. Allah has not left us to guess about Him or His creation. He has sent down the Qur'an, sent His Messenger ﷺ, and given us clear guidance. When we learn about the angels – their nature, their obedience, their worship of Allah – we do so through revelation, not speculation. This is a mercy from Allah.

Moreover, this verse reminds us to purify our belief in Allah's perfection. He is far above having children, male or female. He is the One, the Self-Sufficient, who neither begets nor is born. Our faith calls us to exalt Allah above every imperfection and to submit to Him with sincere hearts.

Let us be among those who believe in the Hereafter, who prepare for that Day, and who speak about Allah with knowledge and reverence. For the one who truly believes in meeting his Lord will guard his tongue, his heart, and his actions – and will never attribute to Allah anything but what is befitting of His majesty.