﴿قُلْ﴾

(Say) -- `O Muhammad' --

﴿إِن كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَـنِ وَلَدٌ فَأَنَاْ أَوَّلُ الْعَـبِدِينَ﴾

(If the Most Gracious had a son, then I am the first of the worshippers.) meaning, `if this were so, then I would worship Him on that basis, because I am one of His servants; I obey all that He commands me and I am not too arrogant or proud to worship Him.' This conditional phrase does not mean that what is described could happen nor that is possible as Allah says:

﴿لَّوْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَداً لاَّصْطَفَى مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ سُبْحَـنَهُ هُوَ اللَّهُ الْوَحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ ﴾

(Had Allah willed to take a son, He could have chosen whom He willed out of those whom He created. But glory be to Him! He is Allah, the One, the Irresistible.) (39:4). Allah says here:

﴿سُبْحَـنَ رَبِّ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ﴾

(Glorified is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne! Exalted be He from all that they ascribe (to Him).) meaning, exalted and sanctified and glorified be the Creator of all things far above having any offspring, for He is Unique, One and Eternally Self-Sufficient. There is none equal to Him or like Him, and He does not have any offspring.

﴿فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُواْ﴾

(So leave them (alone) to speak nonsense) means, in their ignorance and misguidance,

﴿وَيَلْعَبُواْ﴾

(and play) in their world,

﴿حَتَّى يُلَـقُواْ يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِى يُوعَدُونَ﴾

(until they meet the Day of theirs which they have been promised.) which is the Day of Resurrection, i.e., then they will come to know what their end and destination will be on that Day.