Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 116 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:116

وَقَالُوا۟ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَدًا ۗ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ ۖ بَل لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ كُلٌّ لَّهُۥ قَـٰنِتُونَ

“They say, "Allāh has taken a son." Exalted is He![38] Rather, to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. All are devoutly obedient to Him,”

Saheeh International

Essence

Allah has no son: He owns everything in the heavens and earth, and every one of them stands before Him as a servant.

A reflection

Why would He need an heir?

An eighty-two-year-old tailor repaints the sign above his shop to read 'and Son'. His son is an accountant in another city and has no plans to sew. Asked why, the old man shrugs. He does not want the name to die with him.

That is why human beings want sons. A later commentator spells it out when explaining this ayah. Children exist because individuals cannot last. A species is preserved by one generation replacing the last, since no single person can survive the ages. A son also helps with what the father cannot do alone. Every reason for wanting a child begins in weakness: mortality, need, the fear of being forgotten.

The ayah answers with one word, subḥānahu: far is He above that. Then it gives the reason. 'Rather, to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth.' He is the Ever-Living, who does not pass away. He is the Rich, who needs no help (35:15). Everything that exists is already His, made by Him and owned by Him. What could a son add?

There is something humbling for the ego here. We imagine God with our own needs, because we cannot picture anyone without them. The Quran describes how heavy the claim is. The heavens almost burst at it, and the mountains almost fall (19:90). 'There is no one in the heavens and the earth but comes to the Most Merciful as a servant' (19:93).

That is not the pride of a ruler who wants recognition. It is simply the truth about who He is and who we are. The old tailor's fear of being forgotten is real, and human. Allah has no such fear. He forgets no one, and needs no one to remember Him.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.