Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
quran:22:73

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.  

O mankind, that is to say, ˹O˺ people of Mecca, a similitude is being struck, so listen to it, and it is that: truly those on whom you call, ˹whom˺ you worship, besides God, that is, other than Him, and these are the idols, will never create a fly (dhubāb is a generic noun, the singular of which is dhubāba, for both the masculine and the feminine) even if they rallied together to do so, to create it. And if a fly should take away something from them, ˹such as a drop˺ of the scents or the saffron in which they drench themselves, they would not be able to recover that from it, because of their ˹complete˺ incapacity: so how can they worship those ˹whom they suppose to be˺ partners of God, exalted be He? An odd thing — which He has expressed by striking a similitude. Feeble is the seeker, the worshipper, and the ˹thing˺ sought, the ˹thing˺ worshipped!
القرآن:٢٢:٧٣

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَنْ يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ ۖ وَإِنْ يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئًا لَا يَسْتَنْقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ۚ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ  

{يا أيها الناس} أي أهل مكة {ضُرب مثل فاستمعوا له} وهو {إن الذين تدعون} تعبدون {من دون الله} أي غيره وهم الأصنام {لن يخلقوا ذباباً} اسم جنس، واحده ذبابة يقع على المذكر والمؤنث {ولو اجتمعوا له} لخلقه {وإن يسلبهم الذباب شيئا} مما عليهم من الطيب والزعفران الملطخين به {لا يستنقذوه} لا يستردوه {منه} لعجزهم، فكيف يعبدون شركاء لله تعالى؟ هذا أمر مستغرب عبر عنه بضرب مثل {ضعف الطالب} العابد {والمطلوب} المعبود.