Ar-Ra'd 13:14

<h2>A Parable for the Weakness of the False Gods of the Polytheists</h2><p>`Ali bin Abi Talib said that Allah's statement,</p><div class="arabic uthmani">لَهُ دَعْوَةُ الْحَقِّ</div><p>(For Him is the Word of Truth.) is in reference to Tawhid, according to Ibn Jarir At-Tabari. Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah, and Malik who narrated it from Muhammad bin Al-Munkadir, said that,</p><div class="arabic uthmani">لَهُ دَعْوَةُ الْحَقِّ</div><p>(For Him is the Word of Truth.) means, "La ilaha illallah." Allah said next,</p><div class="arabic uthmani">وَالَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ</div><p>(And those whom they invoke besides Him...), meaning, the example of those who worship others besides Allah,</p><div class="arabic uthmani">كَبَـسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى الْمَآءِ لِيَبْلُغَ فَاهُ</div><p>(like one who stretches forth his hand for water to reach his mouth,) `Ali bin Abi Talib commented, "Like he who stretches his hand on the edge of a deep well to reach the water, even though his hands do not reach it; so how can the water reach his mouth" Mujahid said about,</p><div class="arabic uthmani">كَبَـسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ</div><p>(like one who stretches forth his hand) "Calling the water with his words and pointing at it, but it will never come to him this way." The meaning of this Ayah is that he who stretches his hand to water from far away, to either collect some …

Unto Him is the real prayer. Those unto whom they pray beside Allah respond to them not at all, save as (is the response to) one who stretcheth forth his hands toward water (asking) that it may come unto his mouth, and it will never reach it. The prayer of disbelievers goeth (far) astray.

For Him (alone) is prayer in Truth: any others that they call upon besides Him hear them no more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths but it reaches them not: for the prayer of those without Faith is nothing but (futile) wandering (in the mind).

For Him (Alone) is the Word of Truth (i.e. none has the right to be worshipped but He). And those whom they (polytheists and disbelievers) invoke, answer them no more than one who stretches forth his hand (at the edge of a deep well) for water to reach his mouth, but it reaches him not, and the invocation of the disbelievers is nothing but an error (i.e. of no use).

To Him belongs the call to truth. Those they call upon besides Him do not respond to them with anything—except as someone who stretches his hands towards water, so that it may reach his mouth, but it does not reach it. The prayers of the unbelievers are only in vain.