O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allāh will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for it [i.e., that purpose]. And if the fly should steal from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued.943
Notes
[943] A comparison is made here to the worshipper of a false deity and that which he worships.
Verse 73 of Surah Al-Hajj (22:73), a Medinan surah, is in juz 17, on page 341 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.
Listen to verse 73 of Surah Al-Hajj
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Tafsir of verse 73
Al-Mukhtasar
O people! A parable is about to be narrated, so listen carefully and take lesson from it! Indeed, those idols and other things you worship instead of Allah cannot even create a fly despite its small size, because of their incompetence. Even if they were to convene in trying to do so they would not be able to achieve it. And if a fly was to take anything away from them, i.e. perfume etc. they would not have the power to reclaim it. By their incapability of creating a fly and reclaiming anything from it, their incapability of doing anything greater than that becomes evident. How can they then worship it instead of Allah? This seeker - which is the worshipped idol that is totally incapable of reclaiming whatever the fly has taken from it, together with the sought-after fly, are both weak.
O people, a similitude is set forth, so listen to it: those whom you invoke besides Allah can never create even a fly, even if they all come together for that. And if a fly snatches something away from them, they cannot retrieve it. How feeble is the invoker as well as the invoked38!
Notes
[38] i.e., How feeble are the seekers of the fly and how feeble is the fly!
O mankind! A similitude has been coined, so listen to it (carefully): Verily those on whom you call besides Allâh, cannot create (even) a fly, even though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly snatches away a thing from them, they will have no power to release it from the fly. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought.
O mankind! A similitude is coined, so pay ye heed to it: Lo! those on whom ye call beside Allah will never create a fly though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly took something from them, they could not rescue it from it. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought!
O men! Here is a parable set forth! listen to it! Those on whom, besides Allah, ye call, cannot create (even) a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! and if the fly should snatch away anything from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition!
O people! a parable is set forth, therefore listen to it: surely those whom you call upon besides Allah cannot create fly, though they should all gather for it, and should the fly snatch away anything from them, they could not take it back from i weak are the invoker and the invoked.
O you mankind, a similitude is struck; so listen to it. Surely the ones whom you invoke apart from Allah will never create a fly, even if they gathered together for (the purpose); and in case a fly should rob them of anything, they would not be able to rescue it from him. Weak (indeed) are the seeker and the sought!
Indeed, those you [polytheists] call upon besides Allāh are servants [i.e., creations] like you. So call upon them and let them respond to you, if you should be truthful.
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Indeed, I have been forbidden to worship those you call upon besides Allāh once the clear proofs have come to me from my Lord, and I have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds."
Say, "Indeed, I have been forbidden to worship those you invoke besides Allāh." Say, "I will not follow your desires, for I would then have gone astray, and I would not be of the [rightly] guided."
And I will leave you and those you invoke other than Allāh and will invoke my Lord. I expect that I will not be in invocation to my Lord unhappy [i.e., disappointed]."
Say, "Have you considered your 'partners' whom you invoke besides Allāh? Show me what they have created from the earth, or have they partnership [with Him] in the heavens? Or have We given them a book so they are [standing] on evidence therefrom? [No], rather, the wrongdoers do not promise each other except delusion."
And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allāh a lie or denies His verses? Those will attain their portion of the decree until, when Our messengers [i.e., angels] come to them to take them in death, they will say, "Where are those you used to invoke besides Allāh?" They will say, "They have departed from us," and will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.
