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سُورَةُ الحَجِّ · 22:73
MedinanRevelation order ١٠٣Juzʾ ١٧Page ٣٤١

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌۭ فَٱسْتَمِعُوا۟ لَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُوا۟ ذُبَابًۭا وَلَوِ ٱجْتَمَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ ۖ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ ٱلذُّبَابُ شَيْـًۭٔا لَّا يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ۚ ضَعُفَ ٱلطَّالِبُ وَٱلْمَطْلُوبُ

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Saheeh International · EN

O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued.

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Bio

Introduction

This is āyah 73 of Sūrat Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage), the 103rd sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 17. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.

This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.

Bio

Revelation & occasion

Asbāb al-Nuzūl
Period
Medinan
Order revealed
103 of 114
Surah
Al-Hajj (22)
Occasion of revelation · Al-Wahidi

Feeble are the seeker and the sought! Weak and helpless are both the worshiper and the worshiped.

Commentary

Tafsir

4 works

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

O mankind! A parable has been made, so listen to it: Verily, those on whom you call besides Allah, cannot create 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 the seeker and the sought (73)They have not regarded Allah with His rightful esteem. Verily, Allah is All-Strong, All-Mighty (74) The insignificance of the Idols and the foolishness of their Worshippers Here Allah points out the insignificance of the idols and the foolishness of those who worship them. يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ (O mankind! A parable has been made,) meaning, a parable of that which is worshipped by those who are ignorant of Allah and who join others as partners with Him. فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ (so listen to it) pay attention and understand. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّ…
Provenance

Chains of transmission

Oral — isnād

  1. ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation

    Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.

  2. 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation

    Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.

  3. TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation

    Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.

Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.

Written — the manuscript record

  1. ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation

    The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).

  2. 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation

    Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.

  3. Modern printModern printawaiting curation

    The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.

A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.

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And now — what do you think?

The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.

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Provenance

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