Q1: What is the context of these verses, and who are they primarily addressing?
These verses continue a broader theological discourse in Surah Al-Baqarah. After correcting Jewish errors — such as exclusivism, covenant-breaking, and the killing of prophets — the Quran now turns to address a central Christian doctrine, namely the belief that God has taken a son. The verses also touch on the pre-Islamic Arab polytheists who believed angels were God’s daughters. Together, they form a reassertion of pure monotheism (Tawhid) for the new Muslim community in Medina.
Q2: What does Verse 116 say, and what is the Quranic response to the claim that God has a son?
وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ وَلَدًا ۗ سُبْحَانَهُ ۖ بَل لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ كُلٌّ لَّهُ قَانِتُونَ
“And they say, ‘Allah has taken a son.’ Exalted is He! Rather, to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. All are devoutly obedient to Him.”
The Quran responds on three levels. First, it immediately declares Subhanahu — “Exalted is He” — signaling that the very idea is incompatible with God’s absolute perfection and majesty. Second, it establishes the correct relationship between God and creation: He is the Owner and Master of everything that exists. Third, all creatures are described as Qanitun — devoutly obedient by their very nature and design. The relationship is one of Sovereign and subject, not one of parent and child.
Q3: Why is the concept of God having a “son” considered theologically problematic in this framework?
Maududi explains that the notion of a son implies a partner or an heir. This directly contradicts God’s absolute oneness and self-sufficiency. A son would suggest God shares divinity, has a need, or requires succession — all of which are incompatible with His nature as the self-sufficient, eternal Creator. The relationship between God and all existence is one of Creator and creation, not of biological or divine progeny.
Q4: What does Verse 117 say, and what does the title “Badi’” mean?
بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ
“The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.”
The word Badi’ means the One who brings things into existence from absolute non-existence, without any prior model, precedent, or blueprint. He is the sole, original Inventor of all that exists. This title alone negates any need for assistance or partnership in the act of creation.
Q5: What is the theological significance of the command “Kun fa-yakun” (Be, and it is)?
The command Kun (“Be”) followed instantly by fa-yakun (“and it is”) describes God’s creative power as absolute, effortless, and immediate. There is no process, no helper, and no intermediary involved. Maududi emphasizes that if God can bring the entire universe into existence by a single act of will, the concept of needing a son — whether as an assistant, a partner in divinity, or a savior — becomes not only blasphemous but logically superfluous.
Q6: How does this framework address the Christian understanding of Jesus as the Son of God?
Within this Quranic framework, the miraculous birth of Jesus without a father is not evidence of divine sonship — it is simply another expression of the same creative power: God said “Be,” and Jesus was. His creation was extraordinary, but it falls within the same category as God’s creation of the heavens and the earth from nothing. The miracle points to God’s unlimited power, not to any divine parentage. Jesus remains a creation, fully subject and obedient to his Creator, as is all of existence.
Q7: How do these two verses function together as a theological unit?
Maududi presents them as a concise but complete argument. Verse 116 delivers the rejection — God is exalted above having a son, and all creation stands in submission to Him as its Master. Verse 117 delivers the proof — God is the Originator who creates without need of any means, and His will alone is sufficient to bring anything into being. Together, they reject anthropomorphism, affirm true Lordship, establish creation by divine fiat (Kun), and complete the Quran’s correction of both Jewish and Christian theological errors in this section of Al-Baqarah.
Messages from Quran 