and what their souls desire, as the Most High says concerning the polytheists who worship al-Lāt and al-‘Uzzā:

“They follow nothing but conjecture and what their souls desire, although guidance has surely come to them from their Lord.”

He says concerning those who claim that the angels are female:

“Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter give the angels female names. They have no knowledge of this; they follow nothing but conjecture, and conjecture is of no avail against the truth. So turn away from whoever turns away from Our remembrance and desires nothing but the life of this world. That is the extent of their knowledge. Indeed, your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way, and He knows best who is rightly guided.”

They have declared them female, as He says:

“And they have made the angels, who are servants of the Most Merciful, female.”

The other reading has “in the presence of the Most Merciful,” followed by:

“Female. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned.”

Of these people He says, “They follow nothing but conjecture,” because this is merely a claim about a matter of fact, involving no action. In the other passage, however, He says, “and what their souls desire,” because they used to worship them and call upon them. There, worship and action followed their own desires, so He said:

“They follow nothing but conjecture and what their souls desire.”

As for what the Messenger brought, it is as He says:

“By the star when it descends, your companion has neither gone astray nor erred. Nor does he speak from desire. It is nothing but revelation revealed, taught to him by one mighty in power.”

Everyone who opposes the Messenger remains bound by conjecture and what their souls desire. If he believes what he says and has an argument with which he seeks to substantiate it, the utmost he attains is conjecture, which is of no avail against the truth