سُوْرَةُ النَّحْلِ
Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 57
وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ ٱلْبَنَـٰتِ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ ۙ وَلَهُم مَّا يَشْتَهُونَ ﴿57﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And they assign daughters unto Allâh! - Glorified (and Exalted) is He above all that they associate with Him! And unto themselves what they desire;
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَيَجْعَلُونَ
wayajʿalūna
And they assign
لِلَّهِ
lillahi
to Allah
ٱلْبَنَـٰتِ
l-banāti
daughters
سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ ۙ
sub'ḥānahu
Glory be to Him
وَلَهُم
walahum
And for them
مَّا
mā
(is) what
يَشْتَهُونَ
yashtahūna
they desire
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
57. They assign daughters [54] to Allah—Glory be to Him!—while for themselves is what they desire [55] (i.e., sons).
[54]
The Goddesses of the Arabs, Their Status, and Their Worshippers:
Like the Indian, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations, the polytheists of Arabia had fewer gods and more goddesses, and their belief regarding these goddesses was that they were the daughters of Allah. Similarly, they also considered the angels to be the daughters of Allah. Their three famous goddesses were Lat, Uzza, and Manat. Lat is the feminine form of Ilah, Uzza is the feminine of Aziz, and Manat is the feminine of Mannan. The shrine or sanctuary of Lat was in Ta’if, and the Banu Thaqif were its worshippers. Uzza was the special goddess of the Quraysh of Makkah, and its shrine or sanctuary was located at the place of Huras in the valley of Nakhlah between Makkah and Ta’if. Thus, Abu Sufyan, the commander of the Quraysh, raised the slogan of this goddess while addressing the Muslims in the battlefield of Uhud and said: «لنا عزيٰ ولاعزيٰ لكم» And the shrine of Manat was located at Qudayd on the shore of the Red Sea between Makkah and Madinah. The Banu Khuza’ah, Aws, and Khazraj were the worshippers of this goddess. Its pilgrimage and circumambulation were also performed regularly. During the time of Hajj, when the pilgrims would finish the circumambulation of the House of Allah and the rites of Arafat and Mina, from there the cries of “Labbayk, Labbayk” would rise for the visitation of Manat, and those who intended this second pilgrimage would not perform the Sa’i between Safa and Marwah. Thus, the polytheists of Arabia committed a double injustice: firstly, they associated partners with Allah, and secondly, those partners were such whom they considered to be the daughters of Allah.
[55] That is, their polytheistic beliefs about Allah were so lowly and blasphemous that, for themselves, they considered the existence of daughters to be a cause of disgrace and shame, merely because someone would become their son-in-law and they themselves would be his father-in-law. But in the matter of Allah, they committed a double injustice: firstly, they ascribed offspring to Allah, and secondly, even that offspring they made daughters. In other words, they preferred good things for themselves and attributed the deficient to Allah.
[54]
The Goddesses of the Arabs, Their Status, and Their Worshippers:
Like the Indian, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations, the polytheists of Arabia had fewer gods and more goddesses, and their belief regarding these goddesses was that they were the daughters of Allah. Similarly, they also considered the angels to be the daughters of Allah. Their three famous goddesses were Lat, Uzza, and Manat. Lat is the feminine form of Ilah, Uzza is the feminine of Aziz, and Manat is the feminine of Mannan. The shrine or sanctuary of Lat was in Ta’if, and the Banu Thaqif were its worshippers. Uzza was the special goddess of the Quraysh of Makkah, and its shrine or sanctuary was located at the place of Huras in the valley of Nakhlah between Makkah and Ta’if. Thus, Abu Sufyan, the commander of the Quraysh, raised the slogan of this goddess while addressing the Muslims in the battlefield of Uhud and said: «لنا عزيٰ ولاعزيٰ لكم» And the shrine of Manat was located at Qudayd on the shore of the Red Sea between Makkah and Madinah. The Banu Khuza’ah, Aws, and Khazraj were the worshippers of this goddess. Its pilgrimage and circumambulation were also performed regularly. During the time of Hajj, when the pilgrims would finish the circumambulation of the House of Allah and the rites of Arafat and Mina, from there the cries of “Labbayk, Labbayk” would rise for the visitation of Manat, and those who intended this second pilgrimage would not perform the Sa’i between Safa and Marwah. Thus, the polytheists of Arabia committed a double injustice: firstly, they associated partners with Allah, and secondly, those partners were such whom they considered to be the daughters of Allah.
[55] That is, their polytheistic beliefs about Allah were so lowly and blasphemous that, for themselves, they considered the existence of daughters to be a cause of disgrace and shame, merely because someone would become their son-in-law and they themselves would be his father-in-law. But in the matter of Allah, they committed a double injustice: firstly, they ascribed offspring to Allah, and secondly, even that offspring they made daughters. In other words, they preferred good things for themselves and attributed the deficient to Allah.
