The Qur’ān (16:68-69): “And your Lord revealed to the honey bee: ‘Take up homes in the mountains, in the trees and in structures people may put up.’ Then eat of all manner of fruit, and follow humbly the paths your Lord has made smooth for you. ‘There issues from its inside a drink of different colours, a cure for people.’ Surely in this there is a sign for people who think.”
It is a well-established fact that the honey bee is a distinct entity among non-human life forms particularly in terms of its intelligence and management. For this tiny creature, it was specially said: “And your Lord revealed to the honey bee” which indicates that it has a prominent status among other life forms by virtue of its intelligence, sense and functional insight. The bees take up home, according to their nature, in hills and mountains, in trees and in structures people put up for their vines or other plants. Thus, honey stays protected from polluted air as well as from incidences of breakage or damage to the hives. So, it was said: “Take up homes in the mountains, in the trees and in structures people may put up” so that honey could be prepared in a hygienically safe way. This was the first instruction.
The intelligence of the honey bees can be appreciated by their system of governance. All management rests with one big bee – the Queen Bee – which is the ruling head of all bees. It is her managerial skill and efficient distribution of work which helps run the whole system soundly and safely. Certainly, so unique is her system and so established are its rules and regulations that human mind has but to marvel at the phenomena of the bee.
This queen itself lays six to twelve thousand eggs in a period of three weeks. By its size, physique and demeanour, it is distinguishable from other bees. This queen, following the principle of division of labour, appoints its subjects to handle different matters. Some of them serve on guard duty, some stand to protect eggs, some nurture and train baby bees while some serve as architects and engineers. Some of them sit on different kinds of fruit and flowers and suck their juices which turn into honey while in their bellies. This honey is their food and the food of their children. And the same is, for all of us too, the essence of taste and nutrition, and the prescription of medicine and remedy.
“Then eat of all manner of fruit,” this is the second instruction where the bee is being commanded to suck juices from fruit and flowers as it desires and likes. As for the bee sucking juices from fruit and flowers, it can be said that the molecular composition of juices she sucks is extremely refined and precious, the extraction of which in identical measure through mechanical means even in our advanced scientific age cannot be accomplished as efficiently.
Then comes the third instruction: “And follow humbly the paths your Lord has made smooth for you.” When the bee goes to suck juices from fruit and flowers to places far away from home, then, obviously enough, its return to home base should have been difficult. But, Allah has made flight routes easy for it. Thus, it goes miles away and returns home without straying or getting lost.
“There issues from its inside a drink of different colours, a cure for people.” This is the real outcome of this revealed command. The difference in colour is caused by the difference of climate and by what they suck from. This is the reason why a particular area with abundance of particular kinds of fruit and flowers does leave its effect and taste on the honey produced in that area. Even in this sentence, there is a decisive proof of the Oneness and Power of Allah. Is it not that this tasty and blissful drink comes out from the belly of a tiny animal which, in itself, is armed with poison? The emergence of antidote from poison is really a unique exhibit of the most perfect power of Allah, the Exalted.
As for “a cure for people”, it can be said that honey is, on the one hand, an energy-giving food as well as a delicacy in terms of taste and flavour, while on the other hand, it serves as a remedial prescription for diseases too. Honey is used as medicine directly in phlegmatic diseases while in other diseases it is recommended in combination with other ingredients.
Another property of honey is that it does not get spoiled itself and, on top of it, it helps preserve other things as well for a long time. Honey is laxative and proves efficient in expelling unhealthy substances from the stomach. “A cure for people” has already been fully explained by some medical experts, it is also true for the simple reason that the Qur’ān states it. This is what every Muslim should believe, based on the complete truth embodied in the Qur’ān.
This is what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ expressed very clearly. “A man came to the Prophet telling him that his brother was suffering from diarrhoea.” Allah’s Messenger ﷺ told him: “Give him a drink of honey.” The man did, and then he came again and said: ‘Messenger of Allah, I have given him honey, but his complaint has worsened.’ The Prophet ﷺ said to him: “Go and give him a drink of honey.” The man went away before returning the third time to say: ‘Messenger of Allah that has only aggravated his condition.’ Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said emphatically: “Allah tells the truth and your brother’s belly tells lies. Go and give him a drink of honey.” The man did just that and his brother took the drink and was cured.” (Bukhari and Muslim) “I am with the belief of My servant in Me.” (Hadith Qudsi)
The above report is so significant because it demonstrates Allah’s Messenger’s ﷺ complete trust in the face of the patient’s seemingly deterioration when given honey to drink. But the situation ended with a clear confirmation of the truth stated in the Qur’ān. We should always have such complete trust in the truth of what the Qur’ān says, even though reality may appear to contradict it at times. In other words, what is stated in the Qur’ān is more truthful than apparent reality, which could easily change, giving way to a new reality that will confirm the Qur’ānic statement.
Like humans, bees are incredibly social creatures, which will protect the ones they love and will work together for common goals. It’s worth remembering that we can learn a plenty from them. “Surely in this there is a sign for people who think.” (Ayah 69) Allah, after having given examples of His perfect power mentioned above, invites us once again to look into them and think about them. How, through a tiny little living creature with a poisonous bite, He provides for us what is an excellent combination of food, drink, taste, flavour, and cure. Subhan Allah.