Surah 16. An-Nahl

---

Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-21 [2], 22-25 [3], 26-34 [4], 35-40 [5], 41-50 [6], 51-60 [7], 61-65 [8], 66-70 [9], 71-76 [10], 77-83 [11], 84-89 [12], 90-100 [13], 101-110 [14], 111-119 [15], 120-128 [16]

---

Quran Text of Verse 66-70وَ اِنَّAnd indeedلَكُمْfor youفِیinالْاَنْعَامِthe cattleلَعِبْرَةً ؕ(is) a lessonنُسْقِیْكُمْWe give you to drinkمِّمَّاfrom whatفِیْ(is) inبُطُوْنِهٖtheir belliesمِنْۢfromبَیْنِbetweenفَرْثٍbowelsوَّ دَمٍand bloodلَّبَنًاmilkخَالِصًاpureسَآىِٕغًاpalatableلِّلشّٰرِبِیْنَ to the drinkers وَ مِنْAnd fromثَمَرٰتِfruitsالنَّخِیْلِthe date-palmوَ الْاَعْنَابِand the grapesتَتَّخِذُوْنَyou takeمِنْهُfrom itسَكَرًاintoxicantوَّ رِزْقًاand a provisionحَسَنًا ؕgoodاِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیَةً(is) surely a Signلِّقَوْمٍfor a peopleیَّعْقِلُوْنَ who use reason وَ اَوْحٰیAnd inspiredرَبُّكَyour Lordاِلَیtoالنَّحْلِthe beeاَنِ[that]اتَّخِذِیْTakeمِنَamongالْجِبَالِthe mountainsبُیُوْتًاhousesوَّ مِنَand amongالشَّجَرِthe treesوَ مِمَّاand in whatیَعْرِشُوْنَۙthey construct ثُمَّThenكُلِیْeatمِنْfromكُلِّallالثَّمَرٰتِthe fruitsفَاسْلُكِیْand followسُبُلَ(the) waysرَبِّكِ(of) your Lordذُلُلًا ؕmade smoothیَخْرُجُComes forthمِنْۢfromبُطُوْنِهَاtheir belliesشَرَابٌa drinkمُّخْتَلِفٌ(of) varyingاَلْوَانُهٗcolorsفِیْهِin itشِفَآءٌ(is) a healingلِّلنَّاسِ ؕfor the mankindاِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیَةً(is) surely a Signلِّقَوْمٍfor a peopleیَّتَفَكَّرُوْنَ who reflect وَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahخَلَقَكُمْcreated youثُمَّthenیَتَوَفّٰىكُمْ ۙ۫will cause you to dieوَ مِنْكُمْAnd among youمَّنْ(is one) whoیُّرَدُّis sent backاِلٰۤیtoاَرْذَلِthe worstالْعُمُرِ(of) the ageلِكَیْso thatلَاnotیَعْلَمَhe will knowبَعْدَafterعِلْمٍknowledgeشَیْـًٔا ؕa thingاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahعَلِیْمٌ(is) All-Knowingقَدِیْرٌ۠All-Powerful

---

Translation of Verse 66-70

66. And verily in the cattle there is a lesson for you.⁹⁴ We give you to drink of what is in their bellies, from between the refuse and the blood, pure milk, a pleasant beverage for those who drink it.⁹⁵

67. And of the fruits of the date-palm and grapes, from which you derive intoxicating drink, and also good (nourishing) food.⁹⁶ Surely, in that is a sign for the people who understand.⁹⁷

68. And your Lord inspired the bee, saying: Build your homes in the mountains, in the trees, and in (the roofs) that they raise high;⁹⁸

69. Then eat of all fruits,⁹⁹ and follow the ways of your Lord made smooth¹⁰⁰ (for you). From their bellies comes out a beverage of varied colours,¹⁰¹ in which there is healing for mankind. ¹⁰² Surely, there is a sign for the people who reflect.¹⁰³

70. And Allah created you, then causes you to die, and some one of you is caused to reach the abject old age, so that he may not know after having had knowledge, Verily Allah is Knower, Powerful.¹⁰⁴

---

Commentary

94.Lesson of Tawheed (monotheism), or Allah’s Lordship, of His perfect excellence and might.

95. That is: In the bellies of the cattle where dung and blood are produced, there pure milk is also produced. This milk does not contain even the slightest portion of these two filthy things, and man finds the taste of milk pleasant and palatable. In other words Allah has created for man innumerable mobile factories, in which a very high kind of beverage is produced, which is tasty and also health-giving.

96. The fruits obtained from the date-palm trees and the grape-creepers are the blissful gifts from Allah, but people misuse these fruits by distilling wines from them. The wording of the ayah that you derive intoxicating drinks and also good (nourishing) food from them is a clear pointer of the fact that intoxicating drink (food) is not good and nourishing.

Although the definite command about forbidding the drinking of wine was revealed subsequently (Surah Baqarah, ayah No.219, and Surah Maidah No.91), but much before this revelation, by the ayah under reference a clear hint of its not being a clean beverage is given.

It is not correct to think that wine was considered lawful in the earlier Shariahs (religions). Since drinking of wine according to Qur’an is a filthy and Satanic act, and Allah’s shariah cannot permit such things being considered lawful. In the Bible’s Book of Isaiah and Examples, wine is declared undesirable:

“Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink,” (Isaiah 5:22)

“Be not among winebibbers, or among gluttonous eaters of meat;” (Proverbs 23: 20)

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawer and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” (Proverbs 20: 1)

97. If man uses his common sense, he cannot fail to feel that his Lord is a great benefactor, who has created for him such excellent things, and when such a feeling is created in his heart, he will accept the tawheed (monotheism) to which Qur’an is inviting him.

98. Allah caused the bee to build its hive in high places, and to prepare honey by drinking the nectar from the flowers and the fruits. The kind of work that the bee performs is really mindboggling. In the hive she makes hexagonal compartments, whose angles are so identical and correct that it seems that some expert has made them with precision instruments. Then the bees perform their work of storing the honey collectively in the most orderly and systematic way. This craftsmanship of the bee is the result of inspiration from its Lord. The inspiration which it directly gets from Allah has been termed as “Wahi”.

99.In the text the word used is ‘thamarat’ (fruits), which is commonly used for fruits, flowers and produce. The bee sucks the juices from various fruits and flowers. This nectar is stored in a bag in its belly and is converted into honey, which it spits out and stores in the hive. The distance covered by the number of rounds it has to undertake to prepare and store one pound of honey is equal to three times’ rotation round the earth (vide Honey by Eva Crane, Director, Bee Research Association, Page 4).

100. ‘Ways of Lord made smooth for the bee’ means those methods by adopting which making of honey has been made easy for the bee. Every drop of honey which it prepares and stores requires it to go through very tiresome and difficult stages, but all these stages have been made so easy by its Lord that it is constantly busy in its work and goes to distant places in search of flowers and returns to its hive without losing its way. It sucks nectar from the fruits when their skin or rind has become soft or has split.

101. Honey has different colours, red, white, yellow. The honey varies in colour, taste and medical properties according to the kinds of flowers and fruits from which the bees suck the nectar.

102. Apart from being a tasty and useful food, honey is also a remedial prescription for various diseases. From ancient times people have been using it as a remedy. Honey is also a good preservative, because bacteria cannot survive in it, therefore, it is freely used in Unani medicine. According to modern research it has various kinds of vitamins and minerals. In other words, honey is also a good tonic.

103. Sign of the fact that by setting the bee to produce this beverage or diverse qualities and full of useful uses, He has provided for man a blissful gift, which expresses His Lordship and Greatness.

104. The abject old age in life means very old age, when man’s energies fail and some people reach such a stage that they are not aware of what they are doing. Their memory also becomes weak. At another place in Quran it is stated: “Allah is He who shaped you out of weakness, then after weakness gave strength, then after strength gave weakness and grey hair. (Surah Ar-Room -54).

“He whom We bring to old age, We turn him upside down in the world.” (Ya Seen -68).

Thus the physical downfall of man which occurs naturally is sufficient to open his eyes. The failure of the powers, one after another, after having enjoyed full strength, is the proof of the fact that man has no power over his own strength or weakness that he may feel proud. All the powers that he enjoys are given by his Creator. He takes them away whenever He wills. In reality the Being who knows everything and is Mighty is Allah only.