سورة الحج

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Ashall narrates: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Quraysh used to smear the idols that were around the Ka'bah with musk and ambergris. The idol "Yaghuth" was placed opposite the door of the Ka'bah, "Ya'uq" on the right side, and "Nasr" on the left side of the Ka'bah. Whenever Quraysh entered, they would fall to the ground in prostration before Yaghuth and would not [merely] bow; then they would turn themselves toward Ya'uq, and then turn themselves toward Nasr. After that they would raise this slogan: "لَبَّیْکَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّیْکَ، لَبَّیْکَ لَا شَرِیکَ لَکَ، إِلَّا شَرِیکٌ هُوَ لَکَ، تَمْلِکُهُ وَ مَا مَلَکَ [Here I am, O Allah, here I am; here I am, You have no partner, except a partner who is Yours; You own him and whatever he owns]." Then Allah sent a green fly which had four wings, and that fly ate up all of that musk and ambergris. And Allah revealed this verse: يا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ إِنَّ الَّذينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ لَنْ يَخْلُقُوا ذُباباً وَ لَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ وَ إِنْ يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبابُ شَيْئاً لا يَسْتَنْقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَ الْمَطْلُوبُ [O people! a parable is set forth, therefore listen to it: surely those whom you call upon besides Allah cannot create a fly, though they should all gather for it, and should the fly snatch away anything from them, they could not take it back from it; weak are the invoker and the invoked].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): In Tafsir al-Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him) it is reported: Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "When Allah said: يا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ [O people! a parable is set forth]; and mentioned the fly by name: إِنَّ الَّذِینَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ لَنْ یَخْلُقُوا ذُباباً [Indeed those whom you call upon besides Allah cannot create a fly]; and when He said: مَثَلُ الَّذینَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ أَوْلِیاءَ کَمَثَلِ الْعَنْکَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَیْتاً وَ إِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُیُوتِ لَبَیْتُ الْعَنْکَبُوتِ لَوْ کانُوا یَعْلَمُونَ [The likeness of those who take guardians besides Allah is as the likeness of the spider that makes for itself a house, and indeed the frailest of houses is the spider's house, if they but knew] (al-Ankabut/41); and in Surah al-Baqarah (verse 17) He gave the example of one who kindled a fire, and (in verse 19) the example of rain from the sky, the Nasibis and the disbelievers said: 'What sort of parables are these that are being set forth?!' — and by this they intended to slander the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). So Allah said: 'O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)! إِنَّ اللهَ لا یَسْتَحْیِی أَنْ یَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا [Indeed Allah is not ashamed to set forth a parable]; [that is], Allah does not, out of shyness or shame, refrain from setting forth a parable to make the truth clear to His believing servants; ما بَعُوضَةً فَما فَوْقَها [of a mosquito or anything above it] (al-Baqarah/26) — whether the parable is of a mosquito or of something greater than a mosquito, which is the fly; Allah sets forth this parable when He knows that the welfare and benefit of His servants lie in it."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ali ibn Muhammad narrates through the chain: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), regarding this saying of Allah the Exalted [who says]: يا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ [O people! a parable is set forth, therefore listen to it]; said: This parable is set forth concerning Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) [and the enemies and usurpers of his right], إِنَّ الَّذِینَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ لَنْ یَخْلُقُوا ذُباباً [Indeed those whom you call upon besides Allah cannot create a fly]; (that is, those who go after other than Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) and follow them, have in reality followed people who do not even have the power to create a fly; so they will not be able, on the Day of Resurrection, to help their followers or save them from the divine punishment).

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Allah has established proof against the Quraysh and the disbelievers who worship other than Allah, and said: يا أَیُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ إِنَّ الَّذینَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ [O people! a parable is set forth, so listen to it: indeed those whom you call upon besides Allah] — meaning the idols which you call upon besides Allah — لَنْ یَخْلُقُوا ذُباباً وَ لَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ وَ إِنْ یَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبابُ شَیْئاً لا یَسْتَنْقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَ الْمَطْلُوبُ [cannot create a fly, even if they should all gather for it, and if the fly should snatch anything from them, they could not take it back from it; weak are the seeker and the sought] — and what is meant by "the sought" is the fly.