Surah Al-Hajj (الحج) • The Pilgrimage

Quran 22:73

22:73

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَٱسْتَمِعُوا۟ لَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُوا۟ ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ ٱجْتَمَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ ۖ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ ٱلذُّبَابُ شَيْـًٔا لَّا يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ۚ ضَعُفَ ٱلطَّالِبُ وَٱلْمَطْلُوبُ

yāayyuhā l-nāsu ḍuriba mathalun fa-is'tamiʿū lahu inna alladhīna tadʿūna min dūni l-lahi lan yakhluqū dhubāban walawi ij'tamaʿū lahu wa-in yaslub'humu l-dhubābu shayan lā yastanqidhūhu min'hu ḍaʿufa l-ṭālibu wal-maṭlūbu

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.

— Saheeh International

People, here is an illustration, so listen carefully: those you call on beside God could not, even if they combined all their forces, create a fly, and if a fly took something away from them, they would not be able to retrieve it. How feeble are the petitioners and how feeble are those they petition!

— M. A. S. Abdel Haleem

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.

— Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

Juz 17Page 341medinan

Word by Word

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاyāayyuhāO mankind
ٱلنَّاسُl-nāsuO mankind
ضُرِبَḍuribaIs set forth
مَثَلٌۭmathalunan example
فَٱسْتَمِعُوا۟fa-is'tamiʿūso listen
لَهُۥٓۚlahuto it
إِنَّinnaIndeed
ٱلَّذِينَalladhīnathose whom
تَدْعُونَtadʿūnayou invoke
مِنminbesides Allah
دُونِdūnibesides Allah
ٱللَّهِl-lahibesides Allah
لَنlanwill never
يَخْلُقُوا۟yakhluqūcreate
ذُبَابًۭاdhubābana fly
وَلَوِwalawieven if
ٱجْتَمَعُوا۟ij'tamaʿūthey gathered together
لَهُۥۖlahufor it
وَإِنwa-inAnd if
يَسْلُبْهُمُyaslub'humusnatched away from them
ٱلذُّبَابُl-dhubābuthe fly
شَيْـًۭٔاshayana thing
لَّاlānot
يَسْتَنقِذُوهُyastanqidhūhuthey (could) take it back
مِنْهُۚmin'hufrom it
ضَعُفَḍaʿufaSo weak
ٱلطَّالِبُl-ṭālibu(are) the seeker
وَٱلْمَطْلُوبُwal-maṭlūbuand the one who is sought