Verse:66 Commentary Commentary

The pronoun in: بُطُونِہٖ (butunihi: their bellies) reverts back to: (al-an am: cattle). Since the word al-an' am is plural in the feminine gender, it required that the word used for it should have been: بُطُونِھَا (butuniha), as it appears in Surah Al-Mu'minun: نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهَا (We provide you, out of what there is in their bellies - 23:21).

Al-Qurtubi explains this by saying that consideration has been made of the meaning of the plural in Surah Al-Mu'minun where the pronoun has been used in the feminine gender. And, in Surah Al-Nahl, the pronoun has been used in the masculine gender in consideration of the plural word as such. Examples of this usage abound in Arabic where a singular pronoun is made to revert to a plural word.

As for bringing out pure milk from between feces and blood, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbss ؓ said: When the fodder eaten by an animal settles in its stomach, the stomach heats it up as a result of which the waste by-product from the fodder settles down leaving milk above with blood being on top of it. Then, nature has entrusted the next job with the liver. It separates the three and directs them to where they be-long. Blood goes to veins. Milk goes to the udder of the animal. Now, left in the stomach is waste which is excreted as feces or dung.

Rulings

1. From this verse we learn that eating good food is not against Zuhd (the way of life marked by not inclining towards worldly enjoyments for the sake of maintaining an ideal state of spiritual purity) specially when it has been acquired with Halal (lawful) means and provided that no extravagance has been made in it. This is as stated by Hadrat Hasan al-Basri (رح) . (Al-Qurtubi)

2. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said: When you eat something, say: اللھم بارک لٰنا فیہ وَ اَطعِمنَا خَیراً مِّنہُ Y Allah, bless it for us and have us eat better than it.

And he said: When you drink milk, say اللھم بارک لٰنا فیہ وَ زِدنَا مِنہُ Allah, bless it for us and give us more of it.

In the second prayer, he did not ask for something 'better than it' (as in the first prayer) for, in human cuisine, there is no nutrient better than milk. Therefore, nature has made milk the very first food given to every man and animal through breast-feeding by mothers. (Al-Qurtubi) Verse:67 Commentary Commentary

Described in the previous verses were blessings of Allah Ta' ala which manifest the stunning marvel of Divine power and creativity. Of these, the first to be mentioned was milk which nature has gifted human beings with after having made it go through its own processing in the bellies of animals separating it from feces and blood and delivering it as a finished product, pure and pleasant, food and drink in one. No subsequent human effort or artifice is needed here. Therefore, the word used in the text is: n نُسقِیکُم (nusqikum: We provided you with milk to drink).' The stress is self-explanatory.

After that it was said that human beings do make things from some fruits of the date-palms and grape-vines as well, which serve them as food, and other benefits. The hint ingrained here is that there is some intervening role played by human ingenuity, innovation and artifice in making the fruits from date-palms and grape-vines yield what they eat or benefit from in other ways. As a result of the factor of intervention, two kinds of things were made. The first is what intoxicates, the common form of which is liquor. The second is: Rizq Hasan, that is, good provision, like dates and grapes which everyone is welcome to use as fresh food, or dry it and store it for later use. The purpose is that Allah Ta' ala, in His perfect power, has given to human beings fruits like dates and grapes, and along with it, He also gave human beings the choice to make things they eat and drink out of them. Now the option is theirs. Let them make what they would: Make what intoxicates and knocks their reason out, or make food out of them and get strength and energy!

According to this tafsir, this verse cannot be used to prove the lawfulness of that which intoxicates, that is, liquor.` This is because the purpose here is to state the nature of Divine blessings and the different forms they could take when used. It goes without saying that these remain the Divine blessings they are under all conditions. Take the example of foods, drinks and many things of benefit. People use them.

Some also use them in ways which are not permissible. But, the incidence of someone using things wrongfully would not stop a blessing from remaining the blessing it is. Therefore, this is no place to go into details as to which of the uses is lawful and which is otherwise and unlawful. Nevertheless, not to be missed here is the delicate hint given by setting up "rizq Hasan" (good provision) in contrast with "sakar" (intoxicant) which tells us that "sakar" is not a good provision. According to the majority of commentators, "sakar" means what intoxicates. (Ruh al-Ma ani, Qurlubi, Jassas)

These verses are Makki by consensus. As for the unlawfulness of liquor, it came after that in Madinah. Though liquor was lawful at the time of the revelation of this verse and Muslims used to drink openly, yet, even at that time, a hint was given in this verse towards the fact that drinking of liquor was not good. After that, came the specific injunctions of the Qur' an which made liquor Haram (unlawful) clearly, emphatically and categorically. (Condensed from Al-Jassas and Al-Qurtubi) Verse:68 Commentary Some ` Ulama have also taken it to mean vinegar, or non-intoxicating wine (nabidh) [ Jassas Qurlubi ] but it is not necessary to report details about this element of difference.

Commentary

The first word: أَوْحَىٰ (awha) in the first sentence of verse 68 has not been used here in its technical sense of Way or Revelation. Instead, it appears here in its literal sense which happens when the speaker communicates to the addressee something particular, secretly, in a way that the other person remains unable to understand that which has been com-municated. Hence, its translation as 'revealed' is also in a literal sense.

As for the next word: اَلنَّحل (an-nahl), it is well-established that the honey bee is a distinct entity among non-human life forms particularly in terms of its intelligence and management. Therefore, the way it has been addressed by Allah Ta` ala shows a distinct elegance of its own. For the rest of the creation, particularly for life forms in the animal and insect kingdom, it was said: أَعْطَىٰ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلْقَهُ ثُمَّ هَدَىٰ (He gave everything its form, then provided it with guidance - Taha, 20:50), something stated as a universal law for all of them. But, for this tiny creature, it was specially said: أَوْحَىٰ رَ‌بُّكَ (And your Lord revealed) which has been designed to indicate that it has a prominent status among other life forms by virtue of its intelligence, sense and functional insight.

The intelligence of the honey bees can be gauged fairly well by their system of governance. The system of this tiny flier's life operates on the principles of human politics and government. All management rests with one big 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 demeanor, 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 and do not allow some unknown outsider to enter into the hive. Some stand to protect eggs. Some nurture and train baby bees. Some serve as architects and engineers. The compartments of most roofs made by them range between twenty to thirty thousand. Some bees collect and deliver wax to architects which build homes. They procure this wax material from a whitish powder settled upon vegetation. This material is commonly visible on sugarcane. Some of them sit on different kinds of fruits and flowers and suck their juices which turns 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.

These different parties discharge their assigned duties very enthusiastically and obey the command of their 'queen' most obediently. If one of them happens to perch on filth, the guards of the hive stop the unwary worker on the outside gate and the 'queen' kills it. One can only wonder about this system and the performance of its managers and workers. (Al-Jawahir)

The first instruction given through: أَوْحَىٰ رَ‌بُّكَ (your Lord revealed) appears in the next sentence: أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا (Make homes in the mountains) which mentions the making of homes. At this point, it is worth noting that every animal makes some sort of a sheltered arrangement to live anyway, then, why is it that bees have been particularly commanded to build 'homes' and that too with such considered attention? Further-more, the word used here is that of: بُیُوت (buyut) which is generally used for the places where human beings live, their homes. By doing this two hints have been given. The first hint is towards the fact: Since bees have to prepare honey, therefore, they should first make a safe home. The sec-ond hint is toward another fact: The homes they make will not be like the homes of common animals, instead, their design and construction will be extraordinary. As such, their homes are highly distinct, far different from those of other animals, virtually mind-boggling. Their homes are hexagonal in shape. Measuring them with a pair of compasses and rulers will hardly spell out a difference. Other than the hexagonal shape, they never choose any shape such as that of a square, pentagon or any others as some of their corners turn out to be functionally useless.

Allah Ta' ala did not simply order the bees to make homes, He also told them as to where they should be located, that is, it should be at some altitude because such places help provide fresh, clean and almost-filtered air flow for the production of honey. Thus, honey stays protected from polluted air as well as from incidences of breakage or dam-age to the hives. So, it was said: مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ‌ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِ‌شُونَ. (Make homes in the mountains, in the trees and in the structures they raise) so that honey could be prepared in a hygienically safe way. This was the first instruction. Verse:69 Commentary The second instruction appears in: ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَ‌اتِ (Then, eat from all the fruits) where the bee is being commanded to suck juices from fruits and flowers as it desires and likes. No doubt, what is said here is: مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَ‌اتِ (from all the fruits). But, obviously, the word: کُلّ (kull) used here does not mean the fruits and flowers of the whole world. Instead of that, it means those within easy reach, and which serve the desired purpose. This word: کُلّ (kull) has also appeared in relation to the event concerning the queen of Saba' where it was said: وَأُوتِيَتْ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ (she has got everything - An-Naml, 27:23). It is obvious that 'all' or 'every' in this sense do not denote totality without exception to the limit that the queen of Saba' be required to have a personal aeroplane, Rolls Royce and palace train! What is meant here is what she needed to have as complement to her function as the ruler of the time. So, here too, the expression: مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَ‌اتِ (from all the fruits) means nothing but this. As for the bee sucking juices from fruits 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: فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَ‌بِّكِ ذُلُلًا (and go along the pathways of your Lord made easy for you). When the bee goes to suck juices from fruits and flowers to places far away from home, then, obviously enough, its return to home base should have been difficult. But, Allah Ta' ala has made flight routes easy for it. Thus, it goes miles away and returns home without straying or getting lost. Allah Ta' ala has made for it flying routes in the air because in going by the circuitous pathways on land, there is the likelihood of going astray. So, it can be said that Allah Ta' ala has subjugated the air space for this humble bee so that it can go home without any let or hindrance.

After that, the real outcome of this revealed command was stated in the following words: يَخْرُ‌جُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَ‌ابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ (From their bellies comes out a drink of various colours in which there is cure for people - 69). 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 fruits and flowers does leave its effect and taste on the honey produced in that area. Since honey comes in the form of a liquid substance, therefore, it was called 'sharab' (drink). Even in this sentence, present there is a decisive proof of the Oneness and Power of Allah Ta' ala. 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 Ta' ala. Then, such is the staggering working of nature that milk from milch animals does not turn red or yellow under the effect of different climates and foods while honey from the bee does take different colours.

As for the oft-quoted statement: فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ (in which there is 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 flavor, while on the other hand, it serves as a remedial prescription for diseases too. And why not? This delicate mobile machine which goes about extracting pure and pow-erful essences from all kinds of fruits and flowers after which it returns home to store them in its safe compartments specially designed, constructed and guarded for a purpose. Now, if natural herbs and plants contain ingredients which have medicinal and curative properties, why would everything disappear from their essences? Honey is used as medicine directly in phlegmatic diseases while in other diseases it is recommended in combination with other ingredients. Expert physicians in the Greco-Arab medical tradition include it specially as a binder in their medicinal electuaries. 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. This is the reason why eastern physicians have been using it as an alternate of alcohol for thousands of years. Honey is laxative and proves efficient in expelling unhealthy substances from the stomach.

A Sahabi mentioned the sickness of his brother before the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . He advised him to give his brother a drink of honey. He returned the next day and reported that his brother was still sick. He repeated his advice. On the third day, when he again said that there was no change in his condition, he said: صَدَقَ اللہُ وَ کَذ۔ بَ بَطنُ اَخیِکَ (The word of Allah is true. The stomach of your brother is a liar). The sense was that there is nothing wrong with the suggested remedy. It was the particular temperamental condition which had caused delay in the actual effect of the remedy. When the treatment with honey was repeated after that, the patient got well.

At this place in the Holy Qur' an, the word: شِفَاءً (shifa': remedy, cure, bliss) appears as common noun (nakirah) in the context of an affirmative sentence. That it is shifa' for every disease is not apparent on this basis.

But, the nunnation (tanwin) of 'shifa" which carries the sense of greatness does necessarily prove that the shita' in honey is of a great and distinct nature. Then there are those spiritually valiant servants of Allah who just have no doubt about honey being a cure for any disease whatsoever. So firmly convinced they are with their staunch belief in the very outward meaning of this statement of their Rabb that they would treat an abscess or an eye with honey, not to mention other diseases of the body. According to reports about Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ ، even if an abscess showed up on his body, he would treat it by applying honey on it. When some of the people asked him as to why would he do that, he said in reply: Is it not that Allah Ta' ala has said about it in the Holy Qur' an: ~t.17 ~I a ; (In it, there is cure for people). (Al-Qurtubi)

Allah Ta' ala deals with His servants in harmony with the belief they have about their Rabb. It was said in Hadith Qudsi:

اَنَا عِندَ ظَنِّ عَبدی بِی

I am with the belief of My servant in Me.

Al-Hadith Al-Qudsi: The Sanctified Hadith: A technical term for what has been communicated to the Holy Prophet by his Rabb. Its meanings are from Allah which He reveals for His Rases, through inspiration or dream, while its words are from the Rasul of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم .

In the last sentence of verse 69: إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُ‌ونَ (Surely, in that there is a sign for a people who ponder), Allah Ta' ala has, after having given examples of His perfect power mentioned above, invited human beings once again to look into them and think about them. Allah Ta' ala, by causing rains to come down, gives new life to dead lands. Winding through the impurities of feces and blood, He makes pipelines of pure and pleasant milk flow for you. On date-palms and grape-vines, He grows sweet fruits from which you make all sorts of syrups and pre-serves. Through a tiny little living creature with a poisonous bite, He pro-vides for you what is an excellent combination of food, drink, taste, flavor, and cure.

Would you still keep calling gods and goddesses of your making? Would your worship and fidelity still remain detached from your real Creator and Master and attached to lifeless idols of stone and wood? Would your reason still keep looking for escape from truth by suggesting that this whole phenomena is some charismatic working of blind, deaf and inert matter? Face truth, think, realize. These countless masterpieces of Divine creativity, marvels of wisdom and design, and the finest of decisions based on absolute intelligence are the loudest of heralds announcing that our Creator is One, unique and wise, sole object of worship, obedience and fidelity. He alone is the remover par excellence of all difficulties and He alone deserves gratitude and glorification as due.

Special Notes

1. The verse tells us that, beside human beings, there is consciousness and intelligence in other living creatures too: وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ (There is nothing which does not recite His praises - Al-Isra, 17:44). How-ever, the degrees of intelligence are different. The intelligence of human beings is more perfect than those of any other living creatures. This is the reason why they have been obligated with the precepts and injunctions of the Shari` ah. Again, this is the reason why a man or woman who does not remain rational due to insanity, does not remain so obligated very much like other creatures.

2. Another distinction of the honey bee is that the Hadith mentions its superiority. The Holy Prophet said: اَلذَّبانُ کُلُّھا فِی الںَّار یَجعَلُھَا عَذَاباً لِّاَھلِ النَّارِ اِلَّاالنَّحل

All bees will go to Hell (like other hurting creatures). They will be made a punishment for the people of Hell, except the honey bee (which will not go to Hell) - (Nawadir al-Usul with reference to Al-Qurtubi)

According to another Hadith, he has prohibited its killing Abu Dawud.

3. Traditional physicians doubt that honey is the excretion or saliva of the bee. Aristotle had placed bees in a hive made of glass and had closed it. He wished to find out their working system. But, these bees first mounted a curtain made with wax and mud on the inner side of the glass cage and did not start their work until such time that they became certain of having become totally veiled from sight.

Giving an example of the lowness of worldly life, Sayyidna Ali ؓ said:

اَشرَف لِبَاس بَنِی آدَمَ فِیہِ لُعَابُ دُدَۃِ وَّ اَشرفُ شَرَابِہ رَجِیعُ نَحلَۃِ

The finest dress of the progeny of Adam is saliva from a tiny in-sect and the finest of his drinks is the excrement of a bee.

4. From the statement: فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ (in which, there is cure for people) we also find out that treating diseases with medicine is permissible because Allah Ta` ala has mentioned it as a reward and blessing.

Elsewhere it has been said: وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْ‌آنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَ‌حْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ. and We send down from the Qur'an what is cure and mercy for believers - Al-Isra , 17:82). Hadith induces people to go for treament of diseases and use medicines. Some Companions asked the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم : Should we use medicine? He said: Why not? Do take advantage of treatment because for every disease Allah has created, He has also created a matching medicine. But, there is no cure for one disease. They asked: Which disease is that? He said: Extreme old age. (Abu Dawud Tirmidhi from Al-Qurtubi)

There is yet another narration from Sayyidna Khuzaymah ؓ . He says: Once I asked the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that the practice of blowing on the sick and seeking to cast off diseases which we are used to, or treat ourselves with medicines are the kind of arrangements we make to stay safe against diseases. Can these change the destiny determined by Allah Ta` ala? He said: These too are nothing but the very forms of Divinely-appointed destiny.

To sum up, there is consensus of all ` Ulama' on the justification of seeking treatment and using medicine. Many Ahadith and reports from the Sahabah are available in support. If one of the children of Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ was stung by a scorpion, he would give him an antidote and seek to help the child to get well through the benediction of supplicatory recitations. He treated a person suffering from partial paralysis by branding. (Al-Qurtubi)

It has been reported about some Muslim mystics (Sufiya' ) that they did not like being medically treated. This is also evident from the reported behaviour of some of the Sahabah as well. For instance, according to a report, Sayyidna Ibn Mas۔ ud ؓ fell sick. Sayyidna ` Uthman ؓ came to visit him and asked him: What is it that ails you? He replied: I am worried about my sins. Sayyidna ` Uthman ؓ said: Then, do you wish to have something? He said: I wish to have the mercy of my Rabb. Sayyidna ` Uthman ؓ said: If you like I can call a physician? The answer he gave was: Believe me, it is the 'Physician' Himself who has put me down (on the sick bed).

But, occurrences of this nature do not go to prove that these blessed souls took medical treatment to be reprehensible (makruh). May be, at that time, it was not upto their personal taste and inclination. There-fore, it was because of their inability to accept it temperamentally that they did not favour to go by it. This is a transitory phase of psyche when one comes under the overwhelming logic and effect of the state one is in, and which cannot be used as an argument to prove that medical treatment is either impermissible or reprehensible. The very request made to Sayyidna Ibn Masud ؓ by Sayyidna ` Uthman ؓ that he be allowed to bring a physician for him is, in itself, a proof of the fact that treatment is permissible - rather, there are situations when doing so becomes mandatory as well. Verse:70 Commentary Commentary

Mentioned previously were various states of water, vegetation, cattle and honey bee through which Allah Ta' ala had reminded human beings of His perfect power of creation and of His blessings for the created. Now, through the words of the present verse, they have been invited to ponder over the very state they are in. Human beings were nothing. Allah Ta' ala blessed them with existence. Then, by sending death when He willed, He terminated that blessing. As for some others, they are, much before their death, carried to such a stage of extreme old age that their senses do not work, they lose the strength of their hands and feet. They understand nothing, nor can they remember what they do. This change in their world-view and self-view proves that knowledge and power reside in the exclusive domain of the One who is the Creator and Master.

The expression مِنكُم مَّن يُرَ‌دُّ إِلَىٰ أَرْ‌ذَلِ الْعُمُرِ‌ (and there are some among you who are carried back to-the worst part of the age) gives a hint that man has seen a time of weakness earlier too. This was the early stage of child-hood marked by its lack of understanding and physical strength, and dependence on others in eating, drinking, getting up and sitting down. Then came youth, the time to prosper and move ahead. Then, gradually, man is carried to a stage of the same age of helplessness as it was in early childhood.

The expression أَرْ‌ذَلِ الْعُمُرِ‌ (translated as 'the worst part of the age' ) means the extreme old age when all physical and mental faculties become weak and confused. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم always prayed: اللھُمَّ اِنِّی اَعُوذُبِکَ مَن سُوءِ العُمَرِ مِن اَن اُرَدَّ اَلٰی اَرذَلِ العُمرِ

'0 Allah, I seek refuge with You from the evil of age'

and according to another narration:

اللَّھُمَّ اِنِّی اَعُوذُ بِکَ مِن اَن اَرُدَّ اِلٰی اَرذَلِ العُمِرُ

'0 Allah, I seek refuge with you from that I be carried to the worst part of the age.'

The definition of: أَرْ‌ذَلِ الْعُمُرِ‌ (the worst part of the age) remains undetermined. However, the definition appearing above seems to be weightier, something to which the Qur' an too has alluded by saying: لِكَيْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا (that he knows nothing after having knowledge) that is, the age in which he is in, senses do not remain active as a result of which a person forgets everything he knows.

This 'worst part of the age' أَرْ‌ذَلِ الْعُمُرِ‌ has been defined variously. Some say it is the age of eighty years while some others say it is ninety. Also reported from Sayyidna Ali ؓ ، there is a statement which puts it at seventy five. (Sahilhayn as quoted by Mazhari)

After that appears the tersely-phrased sentence also mentioned above: (that he knows nothing after having knowledge). This is about the phenomena of old age (which, in our time, has given birth to the study of gerontology). When one is made to reach its extreme stage, one is left with no functional strength, neither physical nor rational. What he knows now, he may not know moments later. All information he has, he may forget and become like a child born yesterday who has no knowledge or awareness or understanding or intelligence. Hadrat ` Ikrimah ؓ says: 'This state will not prevail upon the reciter of the Qur' an.'

In the last sentence of the verse, it was said: إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ‌ (Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful). It means that from knowledge He knows everyone's age, and from power He does what He wills. If He wills, He can have a strong young man be overtaken by the signs of the worst part of old age, and should He so will, even a hundred-year old aged man could remain a strong youngman. All this lies within the power of that sole Being in whose divinity there is no partner or associate.