Tafheem-ul-Quran - Abul Ala Maududi

Ayah by Ayah

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Tafheem-ul-Quran - Abul Ala Maududi translation for Surah Az-Zumar — Ayah 4

39:4
لَّوۡ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدٗا لَّٱصۡطَفَىٰ مِمَّا يَخۡلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُۚ سُبۡحَٰنَهُۥۖ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡوَٰحِدُ ٱلۡقَهَّارُ ٤
If Allah had wanted to take to Himself a son, He could have chosen anyone He wanted out of those whom He creates.1 Glory be to Him (that He should have a son). He is Allah: the One, the Overpowering.2
Footnotes
  • [1] Qira’at: Nafie, Ibn Kathir and Abu Jaʻfar read it as: “. . . they would have come to it . . .”
  • [2] The following are the arguments by which the doctrine of parenthood has been refuted:
  • [3] Qira’at: Roways read it as: “. . . asking each other about . . .”
  • [4] That is, it is just impossible that Allah should have begotten a son. The only possibility is that Allah should choose someone for Himself; and whomever He chooses will inevitably be from among the creatures, for everything in the world, apart from Allah, is His creation. Now, evidently, however exalted and chosen a creature might be, it cannot have the position of the offspring. For between the Creator and the created there exists a great disparity of nature and essence and character, and parenthood necessarily demands that there should be the unity of nature and essence between a father and his offspring. Besides, one should also bear in mind the point that the words: “If Allah had intended to take a son, He could have chosen from what He created” themselves give the meaning that Allah has never intended so. Here the object is to impress that not to speak of taking a son, Allah has never even intended so.