﴿ 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 ﴾

“O MEN! A parable is set forth [herewith]; hearken, then, to it! Behold, those beings whom you invoke instead of God cannot create [as much as] a fly, even were they to join all their forces to that end! And if a fly robs them of anything, they cannot [even] rescue it from him! Weak indeed is the seeker, and [weak] the sought!”

(O mankind!) He means the people of Mecca. (A similitude is coined) He has explained the likeness of your deities, (so pay ye heed to it) and respond: (Lo! those on whom ye call beside Allah) of idols (will never create a fly) they will never be able to create a fly (though they) the worshipped and the worshippers (combine together for the purpose) they will not be able to create a fly. (And if the fly took something) like honey with which are sullied for example (from them) from the deities, (they could not rescue it from it) the deities would not be able to take it back from the fly. (So weak are (both) the seeker) i.e. the deity (and the sought) and the fly! It is also said that this means: so weak are both that which is worshipped and the worshipper.