Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 68

(Ayah69,68) ➊ {وَ اَوْحٰى رَبُّكَ اِلَى النَّحْلِ :} The original meaning of "wahy" is a swift gesture, that is, to make someone understand something in a hidden way, which others do not understand. Here, it means inspiration, that is, to put something into the heart. The honeybee is a special gift from Allah Almighty, that is why in the Arabic language its name itself is {’’ النَّحْلِ ‘‘ }, which is the verbal noun of {’’نَحَلَ يَنْحَلُ‘‘} (ف) in the meaning of the passive participle, and its meaning is "gift," as He said: «{ وَ اٰتُوا النِّسَآءَ صَدُقٰتِهِنَّ نِحْلَةً }» [ النساء : ۴ ] "And give the women their dowries as a gift (with good heart)." Allah Almighty has placed in the nature and temperament of humans, and indeed every creature, the recognition of what is beneficial and harmful for them.
This is the natural guidance which Allah Almighty mentioned in Surah Ash-Shams: «{ وَ نَفْسٍ وَّ مَا سَوّٰىهَا (7) فَاَلْهَمَهَا فُجُوْرَهَا وَ تَقْوٰىهَا }» [الشمس : ۷، ۸ ] "And by the soul and Him Who proportioned it! Then inspired it with its wickedness and its righteousness." However, the difference between humans and other creatures is that all others remain bound to natural guidance. For example, look at animals: when their stomach is full, they will not eat even a morsel more. The donkey, which is considered the dullest of all, under Allah's natural guidance, allows even a child to ride it, and when a stream of water comes, it stops and assesses; if it can cross, it will leap, otherwise not. It is only humans who, when they wish, act upon the guidance of nature, and when they do not wish, they do not act upon it. Many times, they eat so much that they suffer from indigestion or cholera.
➋ {اَنِ اتَّخِذِيْ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوْتًا … : ’’ يَعْرِشُوْنَ ‘‘} By "shelters" is meant both the shaded shelters built outside houses or in fields for sitting, and also the open shelters made of bamboo and reeds, etc., which are built for climbing grapevines. {’’ مِنْ ‘‘} is for denoting a part in all three places, that is, not every mountain, tree, or shelter is suitable for making a home; select appropriate places from among them. After that, there is no restriction on eating; eat from every fruit, that is, {’’ ثُمَّ كُلِيْ مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرٰتِ ‘‘} this command is for permissibility, not for obligation, that you must eat from every fruit. The meaning is that eat whatever you wish, as it is said: "Eat everything except what is forbidden," meaning you are permitted. This command is also observed in practice: bees first build their hive, then go out for food.
➌ Allah Almighty has placed in the nature of everything the understanding of its benefit and harm, as Musa (peace be upon him) said: «{ رَبُّنَا الَّذِيْۤ اَعْطٰى كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهٗ ثُمَّ هَدٰى }» [ طٰہٰ : ۵۰ ] "Our Lord is He Who gave each thing its form, then guided it." But the honeybee is mentioned separately and specifically: «{ وَ اَوْحٰى رَبُّكَ اِلَى النَّحْلِ }» "And your Lord inspired the honeybee." That is why the scholars have researched much about its home-building, its system of life, and the process of making honey, and have written independent books on it. This small creature lives under a properly organized government. There is only one queen in the whole hive, according to whose command and division of labor all the bees act. This queen is distinguished from other bees in stature and appearance. The bees provide her with special food, called "royal jelly," which is extremely nutritious. This queen lays six thousand to twelve thousand eggs in three weeks. According to her command and division of duties, all the bees perform different tasks. Some are guards who do not allow any stranger to enter, some protect the eggs, some train the newly hatched young, some work as architects to build the hive with wax, some deliver wax to them. Some are soldiers whose job is to protect the hive and confront enemies, some suck nectar from flowers and fruits, which in their stomachs is turned into honey, which becomes food for the bees and their young, and food and medicine for humans, while wax serves many human needs, such as lighting, medicine, etc. Their hive is also a wonderful example of divine craftsmanship; every cell is hexagonal (six-sided), which exactly matches the bee's body (round and long), and every side is so equal that even with a compass and ruler, no difference can be found. The wisdom in making it hexagonal is that if it were round, square, or any other shape, either extra space would be left inside the hive beyond the bee's body, or space would be left outside between the hives. These bees are extremely careful about cleanliness, they have a separate place for their waste. They keep removing waste from the hive continuously. They always drink clean water. If a bee contaminated with filth comes, the guards do not let it enter, rather, they kill it. Useless bees are also killed; if a bee dies, it is immediately thrown out. If there is a danger of honey melting due to intense heat, they fan it with their wings to keep it cool. If any queen other than the queen bee appears, she is killed so that the system is not disturbed, just as in the presence of one caliph, another claimant is ordered to be killed. [ دیکھیے مسلم، الأمارۃ، باب حکم من فرق أمر المسلمین… : ۶۰ /۱۸۵۲ ] In short, it is a strange organized kingdom that is working for the benefit of humans.
➍ { فَاسْلُكِيْ سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا : ’’ ذُلُلًا ‘‘ ’’ذَلُوْلٌ‘‘} is the plural, which means obedient and subjugated, and it is the circumstantial qualifier for {’’ سُبُلَ ‘‘}, that is, after building the home, the honey-making bees go out during the day, and sometimes in search of flowers and fruits, they go very far, then carrying nectar in their stomachs and wax material in their legs, they make several trips to their home during the day. At night, they return again to their hive. It would not have been possible to return to exactly the same place from such a distance, but it is the miracle of Allah Almighty's power that He has made the distant and unmarked paths of fields, cities, deserts, and mountains so easy and subjugated for it that it returns on them to exactly its own hive, never going to another hive. One interpretation of {’’ فَاسْلُكِيْ سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا ‘‘} is also that your Lord has made all the stages and methods for making honey within your reach, so follow them and prepare honey.
➎ {يَخْرُجُ مِنْۢ بُطُوْنِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ اَلْوَانُهٗ : ’’ شَرَابٌ ‘‘} means "drink," from which it is understood that honey is originally something to be drunk, whether you drink it pure or mixed with milk or water, etc. According to the fruits, flowers, seasons, and regions, honey has different colors, tastes, and properties, whereas milk is always white; this too is the craftsmanship of the Lord.
➏ { فِيْهِ شِفَآءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ :} In this too is the great power of Allah Almighty, that in the drink prepared in the belly of a poisonous insect, He has placed healing for people. Here, {’’ شِفَآءٌ ‘‘} is indefinite, which has come in the context of affirmation, so its being a cure for every disease is not clear. Similarly, if the "al" of {’’ لِلنَّاسِ ‘‘} is taken for genus or comprehensiveness, then healing for all people will be meant; if it is taken for covenant, then it will be healing only for those whose treatment can be done with honey. The tanween in { ’’ شِفَآءٌ ‘‘} can also be translated as "great healing." In any case, since honey is the essence of countless flowers and fruits, each of which is a cure for some disease, it is not far-fetched that honey contains a cure for every disease. Just as now many homeopathic and other doctors give a combination of many medicines at the same time, so that at least one medicine will match the disease. In short, honey is a great blessing of Allah Almighty; it has both delight and healing. One quality of honey is that it absorbs moisture and germs cannot survive in it, so applying it to wounds and boils heals them. It is a cure for eye and stomach diseases. The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (5716) is about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) giving honey repeatedly to a patient with diarrhea, and eventually he was cured. The reality is that from this verse and the hadiths, it is understood that honey is a cure for every disease, but the dosage and method of use for each disease can only be determined by experience and research, which is the work and responsibility of physicians. Unfortunately, Muslim physicians have not worked so hard on this that they could benefit from this treasure as it deserves, but all Muslim physicians have always benefited from one of its properties, that is, whatever is kept in honey is preserved and does not spoil. That is why for hundreds of years, all electuaries, fermented medicines, and digestive pastes have been made in honey to preserve them, so they have not needed to use alcohol, which is forbidden, to preserve medicines. (Alhamdulillah)
➐ { اِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَّتَفَكَّرُوْنَ۠ … :} The knowledge of Allah Almighty's power and oneness from the conditions of the honeybee is attained only by those who reflect. Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: "Three examples are given from which good comes out of bad: (1) Milk from the belly of an animal. (2) Pure sustenance from the intoxicating grape and date. (3) And honey from the belly of the bee. That is, from this Quran, the children of the ignorant will become scholars; in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), this is what happened: the children of the disbelievers became perfect." (Muwadhih)