Children are presented in these verses as an adornment of worldly life, whose abundance can become a lure leading to ruin. By extension, the expression ibn as-sabil, literally son of the road, refers to the traveler, who must be given from one’s wealth and has a share of zakat. The verses also report the claim of some People of the Book to be the children of Allah, and the Qur’an’s reply.
Verses gathered from a topical index of the Quran, in Mushaf order; every verse is quoted in full.
But the Jews and the Christians say, "We are the children of Allāh and His beloved." Say, "Then why does He punish you for your sins?" Rather, you are human beings from among those He has created. He forgives whom He wills, and He punishes whom He wills. And to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, and to Him is the [final] destination.
The Jews say, "Ezra is the son of Allāh"; and the Christians say, "The Messiah is the son of Allāh." That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before [them]. May Allāh destroy them; how are they deluded?
