لَهُۥ دَعۡوَةُ ٱلۡحَقِّۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا يَسۡتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَيۡءٍ إِلَّا كَبَٰسِطِ كَفَّيۡهِ إِلَى ٱلۡمَآءِ لِيَبۡلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَٰلِغِهِۦۚ وَمَا دُعَآءُ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَٰلٖ ١٤
Lahū da'watul-haqqi walladhīna yad'ūna min dūnihī lā yastajībūna lahum bishay'in illā kabāsiti kaffayhi ilal-mā'i liyablugha fāhu wamā huwa bibālighihī wamā du'ā'ul-kāfirīna illā fī dalāl
To Him [alone] is the supplication of truth. And those they call upon besides Him do not respond to them with a thing, except as one who stretches his hands toward water [from afar, calling it] to reach his mouth, but it will not reach it [thus].634 And the supplication of the disbelievers is not but in error [i.e., futility].
Footnotes
634 The analogy indicates that false deities will never respond to them at all.