Quran 22:73 — Al-Hajj, verse 73
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
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!
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَنْ يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ ۖ وَإِنْ يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئًا لَا يَسْتَنْقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ۚ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ
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
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- O men, a similitude is struck; so give you ear to it. Surely those upon whom you call, apart from God, shall never create a fly, though they banded together to do it; and if a fly should rob them of aught, they would never rescue it from him. Feeble indeed alike are the seeker and the sought!
- Muhammad Asad
- O MEN! A parable is set forth [herewith]; hearken, then, to it! Behold, those beings whom you invoke instead of God cannot create [as much as] a fly, even were they to join all their forces to that end! And if a fly robs them of anything, they cannot [even] rescue it from him! Weak indeed is the seeker, and [weak] the sought!
- Sahih International
- 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.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاyāayyuhā | O mankind | — |
| 2 | ٱلنَّاسُl-nāsu | O mankind | نوس |
| 3 | ضُرِبَḍuriba | Is set forth | ضرب |
| 4 | مَثَلٌۭmathalun | an example | مثل |
| 5 | فَٱسْتَمِعُوا۟fa-is'tamiʿū | so listen | سمع |
| 6 | لَهُۥٓ ۚlahu | to it | — |
| 7 | إِنَّinna | Indeed | — |
| 8 | ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna | those whom | — |
| 9 | تَدْعُونَtadʿūna | you invoke | دعو |
| 10 | مِنmin | besides Allah | — |
| 11 | دُونِdūni | besides Allah | دون |
| 12 | ٱللَّهِl-lahi | besides Allah | أله |
| 13 | لَنlan | will never | — |
| 14 | يَخْلُقُوا۟yakhluqū | create | خلق |
| 15 | ذُبَابًۭاdhubāban | a fly | ذبب |
| 16 | وَلَوِwalawi | even if | — |
| 17 | ٱجْتَمَعُوا۟ij'tamaʿū | they gathered together | جمع |
| 18 | لَهُۥ ۖlahu | for it | — |
| 19 | وَإِنwa-in | And if | — |
| 20 | يَسْلُبْهُمُyaslub'humu | snatched away from them | سلب |
| 21 | ٱلذُّبَابُl-dhubābu | the fly | ذبب |
| 22 | شَيْـًۭٔاshayan | a thing | شيأ |
| 23 | لَّاlā | not | — |
| 24 | يَسْتَنقِذُوهُyastanqidhūhu | they (could) take it back | نقذ |
| 25 | مِنْهُ ۚmin'hu | from it | — |
| 26 | ضَعُفَḍaʿufa | So weak | ضعف |
| 27 | ٱلطَّالِبُl-ṭālibu | (are) the seeker | طلب |
| 28 | وَٱلْمَطْلُوبُwal-maṭlūbu | and the one who is sought | طلب |