The Bee in the Quran: a Little Wisodm

By: Maged Taman

16:68 And thy Lord inspired the bee, saying: Choose thou habitations in the hills and in the trees and in that which they thatch; وَأَوْحَى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ (16:68)

16:69 Then eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of thy Lord, made smooth (for thee). There cometh forth from their bellies a drink diverse of hues, wherein is healing for mankind. Lo! herein is indeed a portent for people who reflect. ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلاً يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (16:69)

16:68 And thy Lord inspired the bee,: God inspiration can be by direct through the DNA in their brain that direct them to do that. Even if it is a learning process God facilitated the presence of this DNA to do its function.

saying: Choose thou habitations in the hills and in the trees and in that which they thatch;: God say in Arabic atakhizi which is clearly indicate that he is talking to female bees. If he talk to male bee he would say atakhiz. The modern science proved that the female bee is the one who is producing the honey.

16:69 Then eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of thy Lord, made smooth (for thee). : He order the bees to eat from all the fruits.

There cometh forth from their bellies a drink: after the bees eat the food it assimilate it in its abdomen which function as a chemistry laboratory to produce honey. The Quran mentioned right were the honey is produced in the abdomen not somewhere else in the body.

diverse of hues,: according to http://www.quranmiracles.com/ The colors of honey vary as stated in the Quran. They change according to the climate, season and weather conditions and the sources where nectar is obtained. The color of honey ranges from dark brown to green, among which the light yellow is preferred. In the honey industry, modern countries with developed techniques use a colorimeter to establish the exact description of honey’s color.

wherein is healing for mankind.: Honey has regenerative properties and used in medical field.

Lo! herein is indeed a portent for people who reflect.: the things you need to reflect here is the Quran got it right on: where the bees live, where it eat from, the female bee is the one that produce the honey, it is produced in its belly, the honey has different colors and it has healing properties. This simple sign of God shows how he direct one of his creation to its feeding and from it honey is produced to our feeding and health. That is why the Quranic verses are considered signs of God.