Az-Zukhruf (الزخرف)
Chapter 43 · The Ornaments of Gold · Juz 25
وَقَالُوا۟ لَوْ شَآءَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ مَا عَبَدْنَٰهُم ۗ مَّا لَهُم بِذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ ۖ إِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
Wa qaaloo law shaaa'ar Rahmaanu maa 'abadnaahum; maa lahum bizaalika min 'ilmin in hum illaa yakhrusoon
And they said, "If the Most Merciful had willed, we would not have worshipped them." They have of that no knowledge. They are not but falsifying.
Quran 43:20 — Surah Az-Zukhruf
This is verse 20 of 89 in Surah Az-Zukhruf (الزخرف), meaning “The Ornaments of Gold”. It is a Meccan surah — revealed in Makkah before the Hijrah. This verse is located in Juz 25 (Part 25) of the Quran.
Surah Az-Zukhruf is the 43th chapter of the Holy Quran and contains 89 verses (ayat). You can listen to this surah with audio recitation and follow along with transliteration on QuranMakkah.com.
To pronounce this verse, follow the transliteration below. Each syllable represents the Arabic sounds written in Latin letters:
Wa qaaloo law shaaa'ar Rahmaanu maa 'abadnaahum; maa lahum bizaalika min 'ilmin in hum illaa yakhrusoon
أَوَمَن يُنَشَّؤُا۟ فِى ٱلْحِلْيَةِ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْخِصَامِ غَيْرُ مُبِينٍۢ
So is one brought up in ornaments while being during conflict unevident [attributed to Allah]?
وَجَعَلُوا۟ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ عِبَٰدُ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ إِنَٰثًا ۚ أَشَهِدُوا۟ خَلْقَهُمْ ۚ سَتُكْتَبُ شَهَٰدَتُهُمْ وَيُسْـَٔلُونَ
And they have made the angels, who are servants of the Most Merciful, females. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned.
وَقَالُوا۟ لَوْ شَآءَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ مَا عَبَدْنَٰهُم ۗ مَّا لَهُم بِذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ ۖ إِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
And they said, "If the Most Merciful had willed, we would not have worshipped them." They have of that no knowledge. They are not but falsifying.
أَمْ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُمْ كِتَٰبًۭا مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ فَهُم بِهِۦ مُسْتَمْسِكُونَ
Or have We given them a book before the Qur'an to which they are adhering?
بَلْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَىٰٓ أُمَّةٍۢ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِهِم مُّهْتَدُونَ
Rather, they say, "Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are in their footsteps [rightly] guided."