#24 Fly & #25 Locust: Animals Mentioned in the Quran

Stories From the Quran by Meera'n Malik

The Quran mentions various creatures and phenomena that Allah created to serve as signs of His power and wisdom. Two of these creatures are the locust and the fly, which are mentioned in several verses of the Quran. The word ‘Locust’ is mentioned once in 1 verse, while ‘fly’ is mentioned three times in 3 different verses.

In another verse of the Quran, Allah says: “And We sent upon them the flood and locusts and lice and frogs and blood as distinct signs, but they were arrogant and were a criminal people.” [Surah Al-A'raf, 133]

In yet another verse, Allah says: "O mankind, 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." [Surah Al-Hajj, 73]

These verses illustrate how Allah uses different creatures and natural phenomena to demonstrate His power and teach us important lessons. The locusts and other plagues that Allah sent to Pharaoh and his people were a punishment for their disobedience and disbelief. The fly, which is such a small and insignificant creature, reminds us of the limits of human power and knowledge, and how we should always rely on Allah and seek His guidance.