16.Sura al-Nahl

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَمِن ثَمَرَاتِ النَّخِيلِ وَالأَعْنَابِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِنْهُ سَكَرًا وَرِزْقًا حَسَنًا...   

16: 67.  And from the fruit of the date-palm and the vine, ye get out wholesome drink and food:

C2096. There are wholesome drinks and foods that can be got out of the date-palm and the vine: e.g., non-alcoholic drinks from the date and the grape, vinegar, date-sugar, grape-sugar, and dates and grapes themselves for eating.

If sakar is taken in the sense of fermented wine, it would refer to the time before intoxicants were prohibited, for this is a Makkan Surah and the prohibition came in Madinah. In such a case it would imply a subtle disapproval of the use of intoxicants and mark the first of a series of steps that in time culminated in total prohibition. (R).

... إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ ﴿٦٧﴾

behold, in this also is a Sign for those who are wise.

وَأَوْحَى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ...   

16: 68.  And thy Lord taught the Bee to build its cells in hills, on trees,

C2097. Auha: wahyan ordinarily means inspiration, the Message put into the mind or heart by Allah.

Here the Bee's instinct is referred to Allah's teaching, which it undoubtedly is. In 99:5, it is applied to the earth; we shall discuss the precise meaning when we come to that passage.

The honey-comb, itself, with its hexagonal cells, geometrically perfect, is a wonderful structure, and is well called buyut, homes. And the way the bee finds out inaccessible places, in the hills, in the trees, and even among the habitations of men, is one of the marvels of Allah's working in His Creation.

... وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ ﴿٦٨﴾

and in (men's) habitations;

ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ ...

16: 69.  Then to eat of all the produce (of the earth),

C2098. The bee assimilates the juice of various kinds of flowers and fruit, and forms within its body the honey which it stores in its cells of wax.

The different kinds of food from which it makes its honey give different colours to the honey, e.g., it is dark-brown, light-brown, yellow, white, and so on. The taste and flavour also varies, as in the case of heather honey, the honey formed from scented flowers, and so on. As food it is sweet and wholesome, and it is used in medicine.

Note that while the instinctive individual acts are described in the singular number, the produce of "their bodies"is described in the plural, as the result of their collective effort.

... فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلاً... 

and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord:

C2099. Zululan: two meanings are possible;

-        ways easy and spacious, referring to the unerring way in which bees find their way from long distances to their combs; and

-        the idea of humility and obedience in them.

From both we can derive a metaphorical and spiritual meaning.

... يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ... 

there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men:

... إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴿٦٩﴾

verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought.

Other versions:

16: 67 [an-Nahl, Mecca 70]

Asad And from the fruit of date-palms and vines: from it you derive intoxicants as well as wholesome sustenance – in this, behold, there is a message indeed for people who use their reason!

Yusuf Ali And from the fruit of the date-palm and the vine ye get out wholesome drink and food: behold in this also is a Sign for those who are wise.

Pickthall And of the fruits of the date palm, and grapes, whence ye derive strong drink and (also) good nourishment. Lo! therein, is indeed a portent for people who have sense.

Yuksel From the fruits of the palm trees and the grapes you make wine as well as a good provision. In that is a sign for a people who reason.*

Transliteration Wa min samara_tin nakhili wal a'na_bi tattakhizu_na minhu sakaraw wa rizqan hasana_(n), inna fi za_lika la a_yatal liqaumiy ya'qilu_n(a).

16: 68

Yusuf Ali And thy Lord taught the Bee to build its cells in hills on trees and in (men's) habitations;

Pickthall And thy Lord inspired the bee, saying: Choose thou habitations in the hills and in the trees and in that which they thatch;

Yuksel Your Lord inspired to the bee: "You shall take homes of the mountains and of the trees and of what they erect."

Transliteration Wa auha_ rabbuka ilan nahli an-ittakhizi minal jiba_li buyu_taw wa minasy syajari wa mimma_ ya'risyu_n(a).

16: 69

Yusuf Ali Then to eat of all the produce (of the earth) and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord: there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors wherein is healing for men: verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought.

Pickthall 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.

Yuksel Then you shall eat from every fruit, so seek the path your Lord has made easy. From its stomachs will emerge a liquid that has different colors, wherein there is a healing for the people. In that is a sign for a people who will think.*

Transliteration Summa kuli min kullis samara_ti fa-sluki subula rabbiki zulula_(n), yakhruju mim butu_niha_ syara_bum mukhtalifun alwa_nuh(u_), fihi syifa_'ul lin na_s(i), inna fi za_lika la a_yatal liqaumiy yatafakkaru_n(a).

[[Yuksel’s Notes - 016:067 It is up to us to benefit from God's blessings or get harmed by abusing them. We can use nuclear energy to destroy cities or to generate electricity; we can burn our hands in fire or cook our food with it. The Quran pulls our attention to the importance of our choices, by comparing alcoholic beverages to fruit juice. While fruit juice is a healthy nutrition, by fermenting them, we transform it into a very harmful substance.

016:069 Besides containing numerous vitamins and nutrients, honey is also considered a medicine for some allergies. Pure natural honey is known to be the only food that will never spoil; thus it is called "miracle food." In low humidity, no organism can live in it and it never decomposes. If it crystallizes, warming it up and mixing it will restore its original texture. Bees are superb architects and engineers; they design and manufacture their honeycomb in hexagonal shapes, which provide optimal efficiency in using wax. Bees are brilliant pharmacists; they produce medicine called honey and poison made of acid and alkaline in their labs. Bees are excellent navigators and talented choreographers; they communicate the distance, the amount, and the direction of flowers, by dancing. Bees are admirable citizens; they work together with thousands of other bees in overpopulated hives in peace and harmony. Bees have great work ethics; they work hard and do not cheat each other. Bees are both pilots and suicide stinger jets; they strike bravely those who occupy their territories. (Fortunately, they are incapable of protecting their hard-earned product from being stolen by us). This little insect, with so many qualities bestowed by its Creator, provides us with many signs and lessons.

The Bible contains numerous references to honey and bees. It is found in rocks, (Deuteronomy 32:13; Psalms 81:16); woods (1 Samuel 14:25-26); and strangely, in carcasses of dead animals (Judges 14:8). Its sweetness and nutritional value is praised (Proverbs 16:24; 24:13; 25:16,27); was eaten together with other nutrients, including locusts (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6); was used as a religious offering (2Chronthians 31:5); and honey was likened to wisdom and nice words (Proverbs 16:24; Proverbs 24:13-14); to the word of God (Psalms 19:10; 119:103); and to the lips of a strange woman (Proverbs 5:3). Also, see Leviticus 2:11; Genesis 43:11; 1Kings 14:3; Ezekiel 27:17 ]]

[[ Ali’s notes 2093 The spiritual sustenance which Allah gives is typified by the wonderful ways of sustenance in the physical world, which figure forth Allah's providence and loving care for His creation. And the wonderful transformations in the physical world, which all tend to the benefit of man, are also Signs of His supreme wisdom. In the previous verse rain was mentioned, which gives new life to dead nature. In this and the following two verses our attention is drawn to milk, the products of the date and the vine, and honey. (16.66)

2094 Their; in the Arabic, it is "its", in the singular number, for two reasons: (1) cattle is the generic plural, and may be treated as a singular noun; (2) the instructive Sign is in cattle collectively, but the milk is the product of each single individual. (16.66)

2095 Milk is a secretion in the female body, like other secretions, but more specialised. Is it not wonderful that the same food, eaten by males and females, produces in the latter, when they have young, the wholesome and complete food, known as milk? Then, when cattle are tamed and specially bred for milk, the supply of milk is vastly greater than is necessary for their young and lasts for a longer time than during the period they give suck to their young. And it is a wholesome and agreeable diet for man. It is pure, as typified by its whiteness. Yet it is a secretion like other secretions, between the excretions which the body rejects as worthless and the precious blood-stream which circulates within the body and is the symbol of life itself to the animal which produces it. (16.66)

2096 There are wholesome drinks and foods that can be got out of the date-palm and the vine: e.g., non-alcoholic drinks from the date and the grape, vinegar, date-sugar, grape-sugar, and dates and grapes themselves for eating. If sakar is taken in the sense of fermented wine, it would refer to the time before intoxicants were prohibited, for this is a Makkan Sura and the prohibition came in Madinah. In such a case it would imply a subtle disapproval of the use of intoxicants and mark the first of a series of steps that in time culminated in total prohibition. (16.67)

2097 Auha: wahyun ordinarily means inspiration, the Message put into the mind or heart by Allah. Here the Bee's instinct is referred to Allah's teaching, which it undoubtedly is. In xcix. 5, it is applied to the earth; we shall discuss the precise meaning when we come to that passage. The honey-comb, itself, with its hexagonal cells, geometrically perfect, is a wonderful structure, and is well called buyut, homes. And the way the bee finds out inaccessible places, in the hills, in the trees, and even among the habitations of men, is one of the marvels of Allah's working in His Creation. (16.68)

2098 The bee assimilates the juice of various kinds of flowers and fruit, and forms within its body the honey which it stores in its cells of wax. The different kinds of food from which it makes its honey give different colours to the honey, e.g., it is dark-brown, light-brown, yellow, white, and so on. The taste and flavour also varies, as in the case of heather honey, the honey formed from scented flowers, and so on. As food it is sweet and wholesome, and it is used in medicine. Note that while the instinctive individual acts are described in the singular number, the produce of "their bodies" is described in the plural, as the result of their collective effort. (16.69)

2099 Zululan: two meanings are possible; (1) ways easy and spacious, referring to the unerring way in which bees find their way from long distances to their combs; and (2) the idea of humility and obedience in them. (16.69)