لَو أَرادَ اللَّهُ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا لَاصطَفىٰ مِمّا يَخلُقُ ما يَشاءُ ۚ سُبحانَهُ ۖ هُوَ اللَّهُ الواحِدُ القَهّارُ

Had Allah intended to take a child, He could have chosen from those He has created whatever He wished. Immaculate is He! He is Allah, the one, the all-paramount.

EXEGESIS

Walad sometimes means a son as opposed to a daughter, and sometimes it means child in general.^{‎[1]Lisan, under w-l-d.} The latter seems to be the case here, as the verse is a general answer to anyone who ascribes children to God, regardless of gender. The word walad is used elsewhere in the Quran when talking about the angels, even though they were assumed to be the daughters of God (21:26). It is also used in the general sense of a child regardless of its gender (6:100-101, 17:111, 25:2, 72:3).

Ittakhadha: take, assume, adopt. This word is often used in the Quran when talking about God taking a child. It seems to have a general meaning that includes both begetting a child (literally) and calling a being as one’s child as an honorary title for that being.

Al-qahhār: the all-paramount, the subduer, the overwhelming. Qahara means to overcome and subdue someone or something, especially in action and not merely in terms of having the power and potential.^{‎[2]Raghib; Tahqiq, under q-h-r.}

It is deduced from this verse that taking a child is against being one and all-paramount. The divine attribute al-qahhār has appeared in six verses in the Quran (12:39, 13:16, 14:48, 38:65, 40:16, and this verse). It is notable that in all of these six instances it is preceded by the attribute al-wāḥid (the one). This indicates that God’s predominance over everything else is a result of His absolute unity. His unity is the unity of absolute existence, which leaves no room for anyone else to be of the same type and reality as He is – which would not have been the case if God were to have a child. That is why It is not for Allah to take a son (19:35); It does not behove the All-Beneficent to take a son (19:92).

Some exegetes have suggested that al-qahhār refers to God’s absolute independence and self-sufficiency. Based on this meaning, the reason why God does not take a child is that taking a child is due to some need or limitation. This verse would then be very similar to the following verse: They say: ‘Allah has taken a child!’ Immaculate is He! He is the all-sufficient (10:68).^{‎[3]Alusi, 12/28.}

EXPOSITION

This verse addresses another claim that contradicts having a sincere religion for God: the claim that Allah has taken a child (10:68, 18:4, 2:116). Since this is a Meccan chapter, the verse primarily concerns certain polytheists who believed that the angels were the daughters of God and used to worship them because of their proximity to Him. The verse then clarifies an important point with regard to this claim: 1. Had Allah intended to take a child, He could have chosen from those He has created whatever He wished. He has complete power, freedom, and authority to adopt a child for Himself if He so desires. Thus, the fact that He has not adopted a child is not due to any limitation, weakness, or incapability on His part. Rather, it is because Immaculate is He! He is Allah, the one, the all-paramount.

[1] Lisan, under w-l-d.
[2] Raghib; Tahqiq, under q-h-r.
[3] Alusi, 12/28.