تِلكَ إِذًا قِسمَةٌ ضيزىٰ

That, then, will be an unfair division!

EXPOSITION

Attributing daughters to God whilst preferring sons for themselves is here described as being an unfair division. There are two lessons that can be learned from this. Firstly, the so-called golden rule is being alluded to here, that one should want for others what they wish for themselves. To keep for oneself that which one deems valuable, whilst giving that which one deems less valuable to others is an example of unjust and unfair behaviour. Secondly, and this relates to the surah’s main theme, one should never assume that they can define God, His attributes, or His qualities, but rather God describes these Himself. This humility is critical when approaching any questions related to religion. This is especially relevant in current times when people speak in terms such as ‘my God is …’. God is an objective reality and it is not for us to determine what He is, for that is the root of polytheism and shirk.