57وَيَجعَلونَ لِلَّهِ البَناتِ سُبحانَهُ ۙ وَلَهُم ما يَشتَهونَMuhammad AsadAnd [thus, too,] they ascribe daughters unto God, who is limitless in His glory1 - whereas for themselves [they would choose, if they could, only] what they desire:2The pre-Islamic Arabs believed that the goddesses Al-Lat, Al-'Uzza and Manat (see note 13 on 53:19-20), as well as the angels, whom they conceived as females, were "God's daughters". As against this, the Qur'an states that God is utterly remote from every imperfection (subhanahu), complete in Himself, and therefore free from the incompleteness inherent in the concept of "progeny" as an extension of one's own being (cf. 6:100 and the corresponding notes 87 and 88).- This parenthetic passage, comprising verses 57-59, is explained in note 66 below.Namely, only male issue, because the pre-Islamic Arabs regarded daughters as no more than a necessary evil.