أَمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّا لَا نَسْمَعُ سِرَّهُمْ وَنَجْوَاهُمْ بَلَى وَرُسُلُنَا لَدَيْهِمْ يَكْتُبُونَ ﴿۸۰﴾ قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَلَدٌ فَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْعَابِدِينَ ﴿۸۱﴾ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ﴿۸۲﴾ فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّى يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ ﴿۸۳﴾ وَهُوَ الَّذِي فِي السَّمَاءِ إِلَهٌ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَهٌ وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْعَلِيمُ ﴿۸۴﴾

﴾80﴿ Am yahsaboona annaa laa nasma'u sirrahum wa najwaahum; balaa wa Rusulunaa ladaihim yaktuboon
﴾81﴿ Qul in kaana lir Rahmaani walad; fa-ana awwalul 'aabideen
﴾82﴿ Subhaana Rabbis samaawaati wal ardi Rabbil Arshi 'ammaa yasifoon
﴾83﴿ Fazarhum yakhoodoo wa yal'aboo hattaa yulaaqoo Yawmahumul lazee yoo'adoon
﴾84﴿ Wa Huwal lazee fissamaaa'i ilaahunw wa fil ardi ilaah; wa Huwal Hakeemul 'Aleem

﴾80﴿ Do they think that We do not hear their secret conversations and their private counsels? Yes, indeed (We do), and Our angels are with them, recording everything
﴾81﴿ Say, If the Most Merciful had a son, then I would be the first of the worshippers
﴾82﴿ Glory be to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne, above what they ascribe (to Him)
﴾83﴿ So leave them to indulge in their falsehood and amuse themselves until they face the Day they have been promised
﴾84﴿ And He is Allah, Who has authority in the heavens and authority on the earth, and He is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing over everything

[81] In this verse, the belief that Allah has a child is refuted. It connects either to verse 15 at the beginning of the surah or to verse 45. That is, if the polytheists claim that their false gods are not independent deities but rather children of Allah, and therefore worthy of worship, this verse refutes that idea.
There are many interpretations of this verse. One meaning is: if, hypothetically, the Most Merciful had a child, then I (the Prophet) would be the first to worship that child.
The reasoning is: honoring the child of the Most Merciful would be obligatory, just like honoring Allah Himself, and I, being the closest Messenger to Allah, would be the first to fulfill that obligation.
But since I do not worship anyone except Allah, the conclusion is clear: the premise is false—Allah has no child.
A second meaning is: even if the Most Merciful had a child, I would still worship only the Most Merciful, not the child.
The reasoning here is that I worship only by Allah’s command, and He has never commanded us to worship anyone by claiming, “This is My child.”
[82] This is also a refutation of the claim that Allah has a child, but in a different way. It highlights that there is a contradiction between the attribute of being Lord of all the worlds and the idea of having a child.
Because if one truly has a child, it implies need—and the Lord of the worlds cannot be in need.
Three parts of the universe are mentioned: the Throne (ʿArsh), which is the highest; the earth, which is the lowest; and the heavens, which are in between.
This means that Allah is not in need of a child (or a deputy) in any part of the universe.
[83] After mentioning the evidences, this is a rebuke to those who turn away—those who are absorbed in doubts, which is referred to as khuḍ (vain disputation), or in desires, which is referred to as laʿb (play and amusement).
[84] This is also a refutation of the idea that Allah has a child, and a rejection of a misconception.
The misconception was: although Allah is the Lord of all worlds, it is possible that He has given a share in divinity to someone else—such as a child or a partner.
The response is given through the method of rejecting shirk (association) in divinity.