DAY 349: Zukhruf 16-25

•  Is it that He has adopted daughters from those whom He has created, and chosen you for (having) sons? When one of them is given the good news of (the birth of) that which he has attributed to RaHmān (i.e. the daughters), his face turns black, and he becomes choked with sorrow. Is it that (Allah has chosen) those (as His offspring) who are grown up in ornaments and who cannot express themselves in debate clearly? Still they have labelled the angels, who are servants of the Most Compassionate, as female. Did they witness their creation? Their statement will be recorded, and they will be questioned! And they argue, “Had the Most Compassionate willed, we would have never worshipped them.” They have no knowledge ˹in support˺ of this ˹claim˺. They do nothing but lie. Or have We given them a Book ˹for proof˺, before this ˹Quran˺, to which they are holding firm? In fact, they say, “We found our forefathers following a ˹particular˺ way, and we are following in their footsteps.” Similarly, whenever We sent a warner to a society before you ˹O Prophet˺, its ˹spoiled˺ elite would say, “We found our forefathers following a ˹particular˺ way, and we are walking in their footsteps.” Each ˹warner˺ asked, “Even if what I brought you is better guidance than what you found your forefathers practicing?” They replied, “We totally reject whatever you have been sent with.” So, We took revenge from them. Now look, how was the end of those who rejected (Our messengers).
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      Hypocrisy of Prejudice: The core attack is on the mental contradiction of assigning to God what they themselves despise.
      Critique of Cultural Chauvinism: The Quran challenges the society's devaluation of women by using their own bias as a weapon against their theology.
      Rejection of Fatalistic Excuses: People are responsible for their beliefs and cannot blame God for their own choices to follow conjecture over revelation.
      The Tyranny of Tradition: The most powerful and damning critique is against taqlīd al-ābā’ (blind following of forefathers). It identifies this as the primary barrier to accepting truth, portraying it not as piety but as intellectual bankruptcy and arrogance.
      Historical Warning: This mindset is a recurring cause for the destruction of past civilizations, serving as a clear warning to the contemporaries of the Prophet (PBUH).
        
      These verses ruthlessly expose the hypocritical and illogical core of polytheism, condemning the absurdity of assigning to God what they themselves despise, while attributing their stubborn denial to nothing more than blind, bankrupt adherence to ancestral tradition.
     
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