Surah Al-Hajj (22) — Ayah 73

(Ayah 74,73) ➊ { يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوْا لَهٗ :} Before this, Allah Almighty mentioned that the polytheists have neither any transmitted nor rational proof for worshipping anyone besides Allah. This surah began with {’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ‘‘}, and near its end, there is also an address with {’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ‘‘}. Here, by {’’ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ‘‘} is meant the polytheists, because they are the ones who call upon others besides Allah; not all people do this. Or, it could be that all people are being addressed, just as when a person from a tribe does something, it is said, "O people of the tribe! You have done this." (Ruh al-Ma'ani) It is said, "O people! An example is being presented, so listen to it attentively." Here, the one presenting the example is not mentioned, so that full attention remains on the example itself, which is the main objective; mentioning the presenter is not the aim. (Biqai)

➋ { اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ تَدْعُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ لَنْ يَّخْلُقُوْا …:} Those whom you call upon besides Allah cannot create even a fly, even if they all gather together for this purpose. In the example, with the emphasis of the future tense particle {’’ لَنْ ‘‘}, the creation of a fly is negated, meaning they could not do this before, are not doing it now, and will not be able to do so in the future. When your patrons, fulfillers of needs, and removers of difficulties do not have the power to create even one small creature of Allah, which is considered insignificant in people's eyes, then how could they create the countless magnificent creatures of the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them? The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ قَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ ذَهَبَ يَخْلُقُ كَخَلْقِيْ فَلْيَخْلُقُوْا ذَرَّةً أَوْ لِيَخْلُقُوْا حَبَّةً أَوْ شَعِيْرَةً ] [ بخاري، التوحید، باب قول اللہ تعالٰی : «واللہ خلقکم وما تعملون » … : ۷۵۵۹۔ مسلم : ۲۱۱۱، عن أبي ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] "Allah Almighty says: Who is more unjust than the one who tries to create like My creation? So let them create a particle, or a barleycorn, or a barley seed."

➌ Some people who call upon deceased saints as fulfillers of needs and removers of difficulties take {’’ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ ‘‘} to mean only idols, claiming that prophets and saints are not {’’ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ ‘‘}. This automatically raises the question: if they are not {’’ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ ‘‘} (besides Allah), then they themselves are God. If this is your belief, then there is no greater disbeliever in this universe than you, for you have made a created being of Allah into a lord. The reality is that whether they are prophets, saints, or angels, all are creations of Allah and {’’ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ ‘‘}, not Allah Himself. The proof is this very verse: not only idols, but all living or deceased prophets and saints, and your so-called removers of difficulties, patrons, and helpers—even if they all gather together—cannot create a single fly. If anyone can, or has created one, then name them. Allah Almighty has beautifully said: « قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الْاَعْمٰى وَ الْبَصِيْرُ اَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِي الظُّلُمٰتُ وَ النُّوْرُاَمْ جَعَلُوْا لِلّٰهِ شُرَكَآءَ خَلَقُوْا كَخَلْقِهٖ فَتَشَابَهَ الْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ قُلِ اللّٰهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَّ هُوَ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ » [ الرعد : ۱۶ ] "Say: Is the blind equal to the seeing? Or are the darknesses equal to the light? Or have they assigned to Allah partners who created like His creation, so that the creation seemed alike to them? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme." For further clarification of {’’ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ ‘‘}, see Surah An-Nahl (20, 21).

➍ {وَ اِنْ يَّسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْـًٔا لَّا يَسْتَنْقِذُوْهُ مِنْهُ :} This is another example of the helplessness of {’’ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ ‘‘}, that if a fly snatches something from them, they will never be able to retrieve it from it. Most commentators write that this refers to idols upon which their worshippers apply saffron, honey, etc., or place food items before them, as the people of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) used to do. If a fly takes something from them, they cannot retrieve it. This interpretation is also correct, but all those beings called upon besides Allah are included in this, too. If you do not accept this, then name the being who has ever retrieved something snatched by a fly. Commentator Alusi said: {’’ وَالْآيَةُ وَ إِنْ كَانَتْ نَازِلَةً فِي الْأَصْنَامِ… إِلَّا أَنَّ الْحُكْمَ عَامٌّ لِسَائِرِ الْمَعْبُوْدَاتِ الْبَاطِلَةِ ‘‘} "Although the verse was revealed about idols... its ruling is general for all false deities." (Ruh al-Ma'ani) The reason for the analogy in snatching is the fly's stubbornness. If this stubbornness were in a lion, perhaps no one would be safe from it, but it is Allah's wisdom that He placed remoteness from people with the lion's strength, and stubbornness with the fly's weakness. (Biqai)

➎ { ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَ الْمَطْلُوْبُ :} From the fact that those whom you call upon besides Allah cannot retrieve what the fly has snatched, one's mind might turn to the fly's strength, so it was clarified that the fly is weak, the one from whom it snatches is also weak, and those who worship and call upon them are also weak.

➏ { مَا قَدَرُوا اللّٰهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهٖ :} The result of this entire example is that the polytheist is completely ignorant of Allah Almighty; that is why he gives Allah's right—that only He should be called upon—to someone else, whoever it may be. And what could be a greater dishonor than giving Allah's right to those beings who cannot even create the most insignificant thing, a fly, nor retrieve what is snatched by it?

➐ { اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيْزٌ :} Here, the question arises: then what is the right of His worth? In response, it is said: Indeed, Allah is certainly very Powerful. Whatever He wishes to create, He can and does create; whatever He wishes to destroy, He can and does destroy. He is dominant over all, and no one can dominate Him, while no one else has this power or dominance.

➑ If the insignificance of the fly is proverbial, then its audacity is also unparalleled. Even the greatest tyrant kings are helpless before it; they wave it away from their faces, but it returns again, until, exasperated, they sometimes exclaim: "I do not know why Allah Almighty created it!" To this, they are told: Allah Almighty created it to humiliate the tyrannical people.

73. 1. That is, these false deities whom you call upon for help besides Allah, even if all of them were to gather together, they would not be able to create even a very insignificant creature like a fly. Despite this, if you still consider them to fulfill your needs, then your intellect is lamentable. From this, it is understood that those who have been worshipped besides Allah are merely lifeless stone idols that cannot even create a fly.

73. 2. By "seeker" is meant the self-made deity, and by "sought" is meant the fly, or according to some, by "seeker" is meant the worshipper and by "sought" his deity. In a Hadith Qudsi, the helplessness of false deities is mentioned in these words: Allah Almighty says, "Who can be more unjust than the one who wants to create like Me? If anyone truly has this power, then let him create a particle or a barleycorn and show it." (Sahih Bukhari)

O people! An example is presented, so listen to it carefully. Those whom you call upon besides Allah, even if they all gathered together, they could not create a (single) fly, and if the fly were to snatch something away from them, they could not recover it from it. Both the seeker [102] and the sought are weak.

[102]
The Helplessness and Powerlessness of Both the Seeker and the Sought:

In this example, Allah Almighty has chosen the fly because it is a very small and insignificant creature, which everyone finds repulsive and detestable. Now, those who seek their needs from anyone other than Allah have, by considering themselves weak, asked their deity for their needs. Therefore, there remains no doubt about their weakness. And as for the one from whom the request is being made, his own condition is such that he cannot even create a contemptible creature like a fly. Rather, if a fly sits on the offerings and vows presented before them and carries away even a tiny portion, they cannot take it back from it. Moreover, this is not the issue of just one deity; even if all the deities combined, they could neither create a single fly nor retrieve what it has snatched away. Then, what could be a greater sign of their helplessness and weakness than this? Now, if these polytheists were to reflect on just this one point, they would fully realize their own foolishness—that in weakness and helplessness, their deities surpass them. Therefore, seeking needs from them is an extremely foolish act.