Al-Hajj 73: Oh mankind! An example has been given, so listen to it. If the ones that you worship other than Allah were to come together, they would not even be able to create a fly. If a fly takes something from them, they would not be able to get it back from it. Who is asking for is weak, and who is asked from is weak.
Contents
Explanation
Translation
Oh mankind! An example has been given, so listen to it. If the ones that you worship other than Allah were to come together, they would not even be able to create a fly. If a fly takes something from them, they would not be able to get it back from it. Who is asking for is weak, and who is asked from is weak.
Tafsir
Allah (swt) declares that there is no God but Himself by giving people another example. Those who disbelieve in Allah and the Hereafter, and those who call upon their idols, even if all of these idols or other objects they worship were gathered together, and even if all those who have different beliefs were gathered together, they would not be able to create even a fly. Because the power to create is reserved for Allah alone. Since the creatures are not given this knowledge, Allah has not created a being equal to His Essence.
Those who cannot create such a helpless fly, who are of no use even to themselves, if the fly takes a piece, they cannot take it back from the fly. Because the fly is also a helpless needy being. It fulfills its need from any being created for its need. What is asked of it is also helpless. Because he could not rule over a piece that was taken from him and take it back from the fly. In this case, the one who asks is incapable and the one who is asked is incapable. Therefore, such incapable beings cannot be gods and cannot be asked of. Allah is He who does not need His creatures. He provides for all His creatures. Allah knows all the states and actions of all His creatures, what they will do and what they will do. Allah is the one who encompasses the universe, who rules, directs and governs all of it, from the speck to the sphere. He is the One who gives life to His creatures with His knowledge and watches over them. He is omnipotent, the absolute power in His property. Everything other than Him is mortal and He is eternal and everlasting. Allah is before and after. Is it possible, then, for a man of sound mind to worship Allah's creatures as gods, and to ask anything from them, let alone from Allah, the Creator, the All-Seeing, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing?
The fact that Allah (swt) addresses all mankind with this example and says: "O mankind! (You) have been given an example; now listen to it" shows that every intellect is capable of comprehending this example. By appealing to the minds of every human being, He makes it clear that there is no other God but Allah. There is no human being of intellect who is not able to comprehend this example and who would abandon Allah and ask for what Allah has created. After this example, those who associate partners with Allah, those who seek their idols and ask for them, are people who are filled with hatred and hatred against Allah and are cruel to their own souls.
What is said in the video
O people, an example has been given to you, now listen to it well; our Lord is giving you an example. Those you pray to and worship besides Allah, even if they gathered together for this, could not create even a fly. A fly — so among created things, the easiest to create is the fly, it means. What is the easiest? The fly. They could not create even a fly. If the fly snatched something from them, they could not take it back from it. (?) if it tore something off, they could not take that back either. Weak is the seeker, and weak the one sought from. What a beautiful example Allah Almighty gives.
That there is no god other than Him, Allah Almighty, by giving people one more example, makes clear. Those who deny Allah and the hereafter, who pray to the idols they made — even if all these idols or other objects they worship came together, even if those of different beliefs gathered together, they could not create even a fly. Because the power to create belongs to Allah alone. The created — since this knowledge has not been given to the created, Allah has not created a being equal to His essence. So those who cannot create such a weak fly, who are of no use even to themselves — if a fly tears off a piece from them, they cannot take it back from the fly.
Because the fly too is weak — it is needy, you see. Well, the fly too is weak and needy. It meets its need from any being created for its own need. The one sought from is weak too. Because it could not command the piece torn from it and could not take it back from the fly. So in this case, weak is the seeker, and weak the one sought from. So those who are so weak cannot be gods, and nothing can be asked of them. Allah is such that, toward His creations, (?); He gives all His creations their provision. Allah knows the states and actions of all His creations, what they will do and what work they will take up. Allah has encompassed the universe; from the particle to the sphere He enforces His rule over all of it, directs and governs it.
He gives life to His creations with knowledge, and He sees and watches over them.
He is capable of all things, the absolute power in His dominion. Everything besides Him is perishable; He is everlasting, without beginning and without end. Allah is the First and the Last. So is such an Allah, who creates everything, who sees and watches over, who hears and knows everything, abandoned, and are Allah's creations worshipped as gods — would a person of sound mind ask anything of them? Yes.
Allah Almighty's addressing all people with this example, saying: O people, an example has been given to you, now listen to it — His saying this shows that everyone with a mind is able to grasp this example.
That there is no other god besides Allah — addressing every person's mind, He makes His existence known. There is no longer any person of reason who could not grasp this example and would leave Allah and ask from Allah's creations. After this example, those who associate partners with Allah, who rub their faces before their idols and ask from them, adorned with feelings of grudge and hatred toward Allah, they are people unjust toward their own nafs.