The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 262
CH. 22 R. 10. AL-HAJJ PT. 17 يَايُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلُ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ 74. O men, a similitude is set forth, so listen to it. "Surely, إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَنْ those on whom you call instead يَخْلُقُواذُ بَابًا وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ وَإِنْ of Allah cannot create even a fly, though they combine يَسْلُبُهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئًا لَّا يَسْتَنْقِذُوهُ together for the purpose. And if the fly should snatch away anything from them, they cannot recover it therefrom. Weak indeed are both the seeker and the sought. 2502 مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالمَطْلُوبُ مَا قَدَرُوا اللهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ إِنَّ اللهَ لَقَوِيٌّ They esteem not Allah with. 75 the estimation which is His due. Surely, Allah is Mighty,2503 Powerful, "6:72; 16:21. 6:92; 39:68. went at random or in a headlong manner, not obeying guidance; he went with wide step or raised his tail in running. (bw means, the water was or became abundant (Lane & Aqrab). 2502. Commentary: The verse brings home to disbelievers the utter powerlessness and helplessness of their gods and their own folly in worshipping them. Their gods, it says, have no control over creation. They cannot create anything, not even a fly. Let alone creating anything—a worm, a fly, they do not possess even the power to recover from a fly anything which it snatches away from them, so weak are these gods and such hopeless idiots are their votaries! 2176 2503. Commentary: عَزِيزُ The fact that idolaters degrade themselves so low as to worship idols shows that they have a very poor conception of the powers and attributes of God the Almighty, the Great Creator. In fact all polytheistic beliefs and idolatrous ideas spring from this poor conception of God's powers and attributes being limited and defective like those of man. The essential characteristics of a Being Who demands and is entitled to our worship are (a) that He should be i. e. He should have the power to create; and (b) that He should be i. e. He should have complete control over the whole creation. Both these attributes the idols of the polytheists utterly lack.