His statement: “or takes for Allah a consort.” A consort is a wife; that is, if he says that Allah, Exalted is He, has a wife—Allah forbid—then he is a disbeliever. Whether he says this with his tongue or believes it in his heart, he is a disbeliever, because no one takes a consort except out of need for her: either to complete his life or to preserve his progeny. But Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is far above that. He is free of all need of the worlds; He is the First, before whom there was nothing, and the Last, after whom there will be nothing. Thus, He has no need for progeny to remain after Him.

Allah, Exalted is He, says:

“Say, ‘He is Allah, the One; Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.’” [al-Ikhlas]

Consider His words: “He neither begets nor is born.” There remains a third possibility: that something might be generated, for some things are generated from putrefaction without reproducing. This too is negated by what is more general than it in His words: “Nor is there to Him any equivalent.” Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, also says: “How can He have a child when He has no consort?” [al-An‘am: 101]

In sum, whoever ascribes a consort to Allah is a disbeliever:

First, because he has denied the Quran.

Second, because his affirming a consort for Allah entails attributing deficiency to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.

His statement: “or a child.” In the Arabic language, the word “child” includes both male and female. Allah, Exalted is He, says: “Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, what is equal to the share of two females.” [al-Nisa’: 11] And He says: “If a man dies, leaving no child,” [al-Nisa’: 176] meaning, neither a male nor a female child. Thus, his statement, “or a child,” means that if he claims that Allah has a son or that Allah has a daughter, then he is a disbeliever. And we say regarding