Surah 17. Al-Israa, Ayah 111

Lit., "who has not taken unto Himself [or "begotten"] a son" - i.e., who is free of the imperfection inherent in the concept of begetting a child as an extension of one's own being. Since this statement not merely refutes the Christian doctrine of Jesus as "the son of God" but, beyond that, stresses the logical impossibility of connecting such a concept with God, the clause is best rendered in the present tense, and the noun walad in its primary sense of "offspring", which applies to a child of either sex.

Lit., "and has no protector [to aid Him] on account of any [supposed] weakness [on His part]".

 i.e., Jesus, Ezra, or the angels.

 i.e., another god equal to Him.

 i.e., the idols.

A first step towards the understanding of Allah's attributes is to clear our mind from superstitions, such as that Allah begot a son, or that He has partners, or that He is dependent upon other beings to protect Him from harm and humiliation. We must realise that He is the One and Peerless. His greatness and glory are above anything we can conceive: but using our highest spiritual ideas, we must declare forth His greatness and glory. The Sura began with singing the glory and praises of Allah: it ends on the same note, concluding the argument. The next Sura takes up the same theme from another point of view, and opens with the same note, "Praise be to Allah".