وَقَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وَلَدًا 88
Translations
And they say, "The Most Merciful has taken [for Himself] a son."
Transliteration
Wa qalū ittakhādha ar-Rahmānu waladan
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah records the false claim of the disbelievers and those who associated partners with Allah, asserting that the Most Merciful (ar-Rahmān) has taken a child or offspring. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this statement represents one of the gravest forms of shirk (polytheism), whether directed at Allah or applied to the creation of Jesus Christ by Christian communities. The ayah presents their claim as utterly absurd and incompatible with Allah's absolute transcendence and perfection.
Revelation Context
Surah Maryam addresses Christian beliefs about Jesus being the son of God, as well as pagan Arab claims about angels being daughters of Allah. This ayah appears within a series of refutations of such false claims, establishing the theological foundation for understanding Jesus's true status as a messenger and human servant of Allah, not a divine offspring.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah' (Sahih Bukhari 2654). Additionally, 'Whoever says that Allah has a son has uttered a dreadful word' relates to the theme of this ayah's refutation of such claims.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to firmly reject false theological claims about Allah's nature and to understand that attributing offspring or human characteristics to the Divine represents a fundamental denial of His absolute transcendence. For modern Muslims, it reinforces the importance of maintaining pure monotheism and understanding Islamic theology correctly in interfaith contexts.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ رَبِّى وَرَبُّكُمْ فَٱعْبُدُوهُ ۚ هَـٰذَا صِرَٰطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ
Indeed, Allāh is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path."
وَمَا ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ بِعَزِيزٍ
And that is for Allāh not difficult.
قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ مُنذِرٌ ۖ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَـٰهٍ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "I am only a warner, and there is not any deity except Allāh, the One, the Prevailing,
لَهُۥ دَعْوَةُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَىْءٍ إِلَّا كَبَـٰسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى ٱلْمَآءِ لِيَبْلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَـٰلِغِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا دُعَآءُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ
To Him [alone] is the supplication of truth. And those they call upon besides Him do not respond to them with a thing, except as one who stretches his hands toward water [from afar, calling it] to reach his mouth, but it will not reach it [thus]. And the supplication of the disbelievers is not but in error [i.e., futility].