Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets)

26. “And they say: ‘The Beneficent (Allah) has taken to Him a son.’ Glory be to Him! Nay, but (angels) are (His) honoured servants.”

27. “They do not precede Him in speech, and (only) according to His commandment do they act.”

This idea that the angels are Allah’s children, not only had been accepted by some polytheists, but also had been current among the Jews and the Christians.¹

And since in the previous verse the words were about the Divine prophets and nullification of any kind of polytheism, this verse is upon the negation of angels as the children of Allah.

The explanation is that: many of the polytheists of Arab believed in angels as the children of Allah. The Qur’an has condemned this baseless superstitious belief and proves its falsehood through various reasonings.

At first, it says:

“And they say: ‘The Beneficent (Allah) has taken to Him a son.’…”

If they mean that this son is a ‘true son’, the requisite of it is to be body; and if the son is adoption, which had been common amongst Arabs, that is also a proof for feebleness and inability.

But attributing a son to an Essence that is Eternal, non-body, and free from want from any point of view, is absolutely meaningless.

That is why, in order to negate Him from any blemish and defect, immediately after that, the verse continues saying:

“…Glory be to Him!…”

Then in some different statements it explains the qualities of the angels, which, on the whole, are some clear evidences for the lack of child attributed to Allah:

They are the servants of Allah:

“…(angels) are (His) honoured servants.”

They are some honoured and worthy servants:

“…(His) honoured servants.”

They are not like the disobedient servants who serve their master only under the pressure of that master. For the sake of the sincerity of these divine angels in their servitude, Allah has honoured them, too, and He has increased His bounties for them.

The verse says:

“…Nay, but (angels) are (His) honoured servants.”

They are sincerely so polite and obedient unto Allah that they never precede Him in speech; and also from the point of action, they always act only according to His commandment. The verse says:

“They do not precede Him in speech, and (only) according to His commandment do they act.”

Are these qualities the epithets of children or the qualities of the servants?

Explanations

1. Applying the Qur’anic term /mukramun/ (honoured) for the angels is for the reason that, firstly, they are the servants of Allah (s.w.t.), and, secondly, this servitude is accompanied with sincerity.

2. The holy word Beneficent used for Allah (s.w.t.) had been an acquainted name among the polytheists. The existing conditions, which dominate a person, affect on his beliefs and judgments. Since human beings have physical bodies and find themselves some needy ones, they also think of Allah, Who is free from corporeality and neediness, in the same way.