[Quran 16:68-69]
وَأَوْحَىٰ
رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ
وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ
68 And inspired your Lord to the Bee that "Take [second person
female singular] among the mountains houses, and among the trees, and in what
they construct [1]
ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ
ذُلُلًا ۚ يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ
لِّلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
69 Then/ Moreover eat [second person feminine singular] from all the
fruits, and follow [second person female singular imperative] ways/paths, of
your Lord, made smooth." Comes forth, from her/their [singular feminine
pronoun[2]]
bellies [plural], a drink of varying colours. In it is a healing for the
mankind. Indeed, in that, surely a sign
for people who reflect. [3]
Interpretation
Why is the Bee being referenced in
feminine gender?
According to an article on National
Geographic, ‘Worker honeybees are all females and are the only bees most people
ever see. They forage for food and build and protect the hive, among many other
societal functions.’ [4]
Why does it say ‘eat from all fruits’ when honey bees drink nectar
from flowers?
According to Lane's Lexicon[5]
[Page 352, Root s-m-r, 4], the word lends itself also to the meanings of
'attained the time of bearing fruit', which, I assume, is the flowering season,
in which pollination occurs leading to fruit development.
Also there are a few pages on the web claiming sightings of honey
bees feeding on some fruits, however I haven’t been able to find any scholarly
article or credible publication confirming this on the web.
Does a honey bee have three or
more stomachs?
In Arabic grammar, there are three
number forms of a noun: the singular, the dual and the plural form. In the
verses under study here, the word for stomach: butun [16:69:12] is in plural
form. Hence, it implies that there must be at least three stomachs. According
to scientific findings, the honey bee’s stomach is indeed divided in three
distinct sections:
‘Food enters through the esophagus
and enters the crop (aka honey stomach).
Most digestion and absorption occurs
in the midgut (a.k.a. small intestine).
The small intestine opens to the rectum through
which waste is expelled.’ [6]
‘The crop and proventriculus make up what is
referred to as the fore-gut while the ventriculus (stomach) and pyloric valve constitute
what is otherwise known as the mid-gut. The small intestine and rectum form the
region called the hind-gut. Each organ plays an integral role in digestion,
absorption, and excrement.’ [7]
[8]
How does the honey bee find its
way?
‘Each lens is sensitive to ultraviolet light, which can reveal
markings on flowers that are invisible to humans but inform the bees where to
land in order to find nectar.’ [9]
What are the benefits of honey?
Scientists
disagree over the medical benefits of honey. However, ‘The health effects of
honey have long been noted. The nutritional and medicinal qualities of honey
have been documented in Vedic, Greek, Roman, Christian, Islamic and other
texts. Physicians of ancient times, such as Aristotle (384–322 BC), Aristoxenus
(320 BC) Hippocrates, Porphyry, Cornelius Celsus (early first century AD) and
Dioscorides (c. 50 AD), and Arab physicians have referred to the healing
qualities of honey.’ [10]
How long have humans been benefiting from bees?
At least 9000 years, according to National Geographic: http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/12/clay-fragments-suggest-how-long-weve-been-relying-on-honeybees/
https://www.facebook.com/natgeo/videos/10153576547098951/
[2] In Arabic grammar, the singular feminine pronoun is used to refer
to singular female, as well as a pronoun for non-human plurals. Here it may be
referring to the singular Bee or to the honey of varying colours produced by
various bees, hence the translation as her/their
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