Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:69

Ibn Atiyya held the literal meaning of this, stating: "It only consumes the blossoms of the trees, and the term thamara is also applied to the tree itself, as in the Qamus." It has been said: This is what is appropriate here, for restricting it to the yield of trees contradicts reality, given that the bee generally eats leaves, flowers, and fruits. This has been countered by the fact that it is not hidden that applying the term thamara to a tree is an unknown metaphor, and that it eats from anything else is not known; nor does this contradict restricting it to eating what grows within them. The generality in "all" (kull), as some have indicated, is conventional, or it may be restricted by custom—meaning: eat from every fruit you desire. It is also said that "all" is for intensification. Al-Khafaji said: Even if it were kept to its literal meaning, it would be permissible, because the command to eat from all fruits does not necessitate eating from all of them, as the command is for permission and allowance. And "from" (min) is for partiality (tab'id).

The Imam said: I have seen in medical texts that He—Exalted is He—disposed this world in such a way that a gentle dew forms in the air during the nights and falls upon the leaves of trees. These particles may be subtle, small, and scattered on leaves and flowers, or they may be numerous enough to gather into sensible parts. This is like taranjabin (manna), which is a dew that descends from the air and gathers on the tips of plants in certain lands. As for the first category, it is what God—Exalted is He—inspired the bees to gather with their mouths from the flowers and leaves of trees and feed upon. When they are satiated, they gather with their mouths once more some of those parts and take them to their homes and deposit them there, as if attempting to store food for themselves. What is collected from that is honey. Some people say that the bees eat things from good flowers and fragrant leaves, and then He—Exalted is He—transforms those substances inside their bodies into honey, which they then vomit. The first view is closer to reason and more consistent with induction; for the nature of taranjabin is similar to honey in taste and shape, and there is no doubt that it is a dew that forms in the air and falls on the tips of trees and flowers. Likewise here. Also, we observe that bees feed on honey until, when we extract the honey from their hives, we leave a remainder for their food. In this case, the word "from" (min) is for the beginning of the goal.

You know that the outward meaning of "eat" (kuli) supports the second view, and it is more supportive of it than the similarity of taranjabin to honey in taste and shape supports the first, especially since the nature of honey and taranjabin is different. Some great physicians mentioned that honey is hot in the third degree and dry in the second, while taranjabin is hot in the first and moist in the second, or moderate. Yes, because of that similarity, the name of honey is applied to it, for taranjabin is Persian, meaning "moist honey" (from tal al-nada—the fall of the dew), as claimed. Though they say it is, in reality, a dew that falls on the camel-thorn ('aqul) in Persia and is collected like manna. A substance is brought from Takrur called in their tongue tanit, which is the most similar thing to it in appearance and effect, but thicker. The matter of observing them feeding on honey is easy, for it is not constant. It is reported regarding birds that they are able to feed on excrement in winter. The popular view is supported by what was narrated from the Prince, Ali—may God honor his face—in disparaging the world: "The noblest garment of the son of Adam is the saliva of a worm (silk), and the noblest of his drinks is the excrement of a bee." It also came from him—may God honor his face—: "As for honey, it is the vomit of a fly." Taking it as a simile is contrary to the apparent meaning. Upon this, poetry was composed. Al-Ma'arri said: "The bee gathers the bitter from the flowers of the meadows, and it returns as honey on the path of contentment." Al-Hariri said: "You say this is the bee's product, praising it, and if you want to blame it, it is the vomit of hornets." Someone I trust informed me that he often saw them carrying the leaves of flowers in their mouths to their homes, which is something that lends credence to [the theory of] eating.

(Then follow the paths of your Lord) (meaning: His paths—Sublime is He—returning to your homes after eating. Thus, the paths are their ways of return). It is told that sometimes the area around them becomes barren, so they travel to distant places for pasture, then return to their homes without losing their way. In attributing the "paths" to the "Lord" which is added to their pronoun, there is an indication that He—Sublime is He—is the One who prepared that and made it easy, and is the One who attends to their interests and livelihoods. It is said: The paths refer to the ways of going to the places where they find what they eat; in this case, the meaning of "eat" is "seek to eat." It is also said: The paths are a metaphor for the ways of working, and their types—meaning: follow the paths that your Lord has inspired you with in making honey. It is also said: A metaphor for the ways of transforming food into honey. "Follow" (is-luki) is transitive, from "I threaded (salktu) the thread into the needle," not intransitive from "I walked (salaktu) on the path." Its object is omitted; meaning: follow what you have eaten through the paths in which it is transformed by His power from bitter nectar into honey inside your bellies. This is countered by saying that there is no choice for them in moving through those paths to be commanded to do so, so the command must be existential (takwini). This was refuted by saying that this is nothing, because the intake is by their choice, and it does not harm it that the transformation resulting from it is not by choice, and this is apparent. So it is not as claimed.

(Submissive) (meaning: subjugated; God—Exalted is He—has made them submissive and easy for you). It is the plural of dhalul (submissive), a state of the paths. This was narrated from Mujahid. Ibn Abd al-Salam made the description of the paths as submissive evidence that the meaning of "paths" is the ways of [carrying] food, not the roads of going or returning. He said: "Because bees go and return in the air, and that is not a 'submissive' road, for the submissive is that which is leveled by much treading, and the air is not so." There is a view on this. Qatada said: Meaning obedient and compliant. It is a state of the pronoun in "follow."

(There emerges from their bellies) (an inauguration in which the address is shifted from the bees to mankind, to explain the wonders of God’s creation which appear from them, which are a place for their contemplation, after it had been commanded what it was commanded).

(A drink) (meaning honey). It is named that because it is something drunk, until it was said: "One does not say 'I ate honey,' but rather 'I drank honey'." It is as if He—Sublime is He—did not express the extraction by attributing it to Himself—Exalted is He—sufficiently by attributing the inspiration of the principles to Him, Glorified is He. In this is a sign of His great power—Mighty and Majestic is He—such that what indicates the will for a thing is sufficient for its occurrence.

"From" (min) is for the beginning of the goal. He mentioned the beginning of the first goal, which is the bellies, and He did not mention the beginning of the final goal. The majority are of the opinion that it comes out of their mouths. Some claimed that this is more expressive of power, and Al-Hariri's verse supports this, as does the saying of Al-Hasan: "The bread of wheat from the saliva of the bee, pure fat which no Muslim blamed." It is also said: From their rears. This is the apparent meaning of what was narrated from the Commander of the Faithful—may God honor his face.

Others said: We do not know except what God—Exalted is He—mentioned. It is recounted that Solomon—peace be upon him—and Alexander and Aristotle made hives for them out of glass to see how they work and whether the honey comes out of their mouths or elsewhere. They did not put any honey [in the glass] until they smeared the inside of the glass with mud in such a way that it prevented observation. Some said: The meaning of "bellies" is the mouths; the mouth is called a belly because it is in its judgment and because it is something that is hidden and does not appear. This is an interpretation of those who held that they gather small specks from the dew and store them in their homes, and that is the honey. You know that the apparent meaning of the "belly" is the well-known organ, so the verse supports the well-known view on the formation of honey. In Al-Kashf, it is stated that in His saying—Exalted is He—"Then eat," there is an indication that the bee’s stomach has an effect in that. This is the chosen view among the investigators of the sages. As for those who made honey purely botanical and interpreted the "bellies" as the bees' mouths, I wish I knew what they would do with His saying—Exalted is He—"Then eat." It was answered that he interprets "eating" as "gathering," but as you can see, warding off corruption does not ward off improbability. Some people claimed that they gather flowers and dew; that which is gathered from the flower itself becomes honey, and that which is gathered from the dew becomes wax. Reason permits the opposite, and perhaps it is closer to that.

(Of various colors) (with whiteness, yellowness, redness, and blackness). This is either for the pure will of the Wise Creator—Glorified is His Majesty—or for the difference in pasture, or for the difference of the season, or for the difference in the age of the bees: white for the young, yellow for the middle-aged, red for the elderly, and black for those far advanced in that. This was countered by the fact that there is no evidence for it. I have asked a group of those I trust who have tested their conditions, and they mentioned that they have induced and examined and saw the strongest apparent reasons for the difference in colors is the difference in age. Indeed, some of them said: "We do not know any reason for this except this through induction." In that case, what was mentioned supports the well-known view on the formation of honey. This is not hidden from anyone who has the slightest taste.

(In it is healing for mankind) (either by itself, as in severe illnesses, or with other things, as in other illnesses, for it is a medicinal paste in which there is no honey, so it has a role in most of what provides healing among pastes and compositions). It was said against it: Its inclusion in those does not necessitate that it has a role in healing, but rather [that it serves] the lack of harm, for it is said that its inclusion in compositions is for their preservation, and thus sugar replaced it. What we have seen in many medical books is that it preserves the potencies of medicines for a long time and delivers their benefits. It is not hidden to the fair-minded that what preserves the potencies and delivers the benefits of the medicine can be truthfully said to have a role in healing. It is not famous that sugar replaces it in that. In Al-Bahr, it is stated that honey exists abundantly in most countries, while sugar is specific to some countries and is something invented and produced by humans, and in times past, nothing was put in medicines and drinks except honey. In Sharh al-Shama'il, it is stated that he—upon him be peace and blessings—did not eat sugar. More than one mentioned that "mankind" here does not mean the generality, because honey is not included in the remedy for many illnesses, such as diseases of bile, for it is harmful to the bilious person, even if it is acknowledged that sanjabin (oxymel), which is vinegar and honey, as its etymology indicates, is beneficial for him. The beneficial type is another kind of sanjabin, for it has been added to what is composed of acid and sweet, and it has many types in the compilation of which treatises have been written, to the point that they even said it is forbidden to consume it. The intended meaning of "mankind" is those whose illnesses are healed by honey. The indefinite form (tanwin) in "healing" is either for glorification—meaning: a [great] healing—or for partiality—meaning: in it is some healing, so it does not necessitate that all healing is by it, nor that everyone is healed by it. It does not rebut that milk is also the same; rather, there is hardly any medicine that does not contain healing for people in this sense, for it is said: The specification of this judgment is to provide what is almost improbable—that what comes out in its various colors from this worm, which is the most similar thing to venomous creatures, should contain healing. Perhaps it is also venomous, for it stings and causes pain, and the skin may swell from its sting, which is apparent evidence that it is venomous, on "healing for mankind." It is understood from the appearance of some traditions that the speech is in its generality. Humayd ibn Zanjawayh narrated from Nafi' that Ibn Umar—may God be pleased with them both—would not complain of a sore or anything except that he would put honey on it, even a boil if he had one, he would smear it with honey. We said to him: "You treat a boil with honey?" He said: "Does not God—Exalted is He—say: 'In it is healing for mankind'?" You know there is no harm in treating a boil with honey, for the physicians have mentioned that it cleanses wounds, heals them, and eats away excessive flesh. The truth is that there is no scope for generality, for there is no doubt of the existence of an illness in which honey is not beneficial. As for the traditions that suggest generality, God—Exalted is He—knows best their authenticity. As for what was narrated by Ahmad, Al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Ibn Mardawayh from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that a man came to the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—and said: "O Messenger of God, my brother’s stomach is loose." He said: "Give him honey to drink." He gave him honey. Then he came and said: "I gave him honey and it only increased the looseness." He said: "Go and give him honey." He gave him honey, then came and said: "It only increased it." The Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—said: "God spoke the truth, and your brother's stomach lied. Go and give him honey." He went and gave him some, and he recovered. This is not explicit regarding generality, as it is possible that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—was taught by God—Sublime is He—that the ailment of this person with the loose stomach was among those that are healed by honey. For some looseness may be healed by honey. In Tabaqat al-Atibba, it is stated that he—may God bless him and grant him peace—only said that because he knew that in the patient's stomach were viscous, thick fluids that had made his stomach slippery, so whenever anything from astringent medicines passed through, it did not affect them, and the fluids remained as they were, and foods slipped away from them, so the diarrhea continued. When he took honey, it cleared those fluids and washed them down, so the diarrhea increased at first due to their exit, and this continued until the fluid was entirely exhausted, so his diarrhea stopped and he recovered. His saying—may God bless him and grant him peace—"God spoke the truth" is by the knowledge that God made His Prophet—upon him be peace—aware of. And his saying "Your brother's stomach lied" means what was appearing from his stomach in terms of diarrhea and its intensity as an accident, and it is not true diarrhea or a real disease, so his stomach was lying. Others said: The meaning of "God spoke the truth" is that He—Sublime is He—is true in that honey contains healing, and his saying—may God bless him and grant him peace—"Your brother's stomach lied" is a contradiction for the sake of rhetorical opposition (mushakala), like their saying: "He whose beard is long, his intelligence is 'beardless' (i.e., lacking)." It is, based on the first [view], a metaphor built upon likening the stomach to a liar in that what appeared of its diarrhea was not a real matter, but rather due to what had afflicted it. Upon this is the saying of the physicians: "False tenesmus and true tenesmus." Some denied this type of rhetorical opposition and said: "It is not known, and it was only expressed thus because his stomach seemed as if it were lying against the word of God with the tongue of its condition." This arises from a lack of research. A similar story occurred in the time of Al-Ma'mun: Thumama al-'Absi, one of his intimates, was ill with diarrhea, and he would rise a hundred times a day, and the physicians were unable to cure him. Yazid ibn Yuhanna, the physician of Al-Ma'mun, treated him with a laxative as well, and he recovered. The physicians had thought he would die because of it and would not live until the next day. The physician mentioned, when Al-Ma'mun asked him about the aspect of wisdom in what he did, that there was a corrupt humor (kaymus) in the man's belly, and no food or medicine would enter it except that it would corrupt it, so he knew there was no cure for him except by extracting that with a laxative. From this, it is known that what the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—did was among his miracles, which demonstrate his knowledge of the subtleties of medicine without being taught. Likewise, it is known that the attack by some atheists and those in whose hearts is a disease—as to how one can treat diarrhea with honey, when it is a laxative by the agreement of physicians—arises from ignorance of subtleties and a lack of grounding in truths. It is reported from Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Farra', and Ibn Kaysan—and it is a narration from Ibn Abbas and Al-Hasan—that the pronoun in "in it" (fihi) refers to the Quran, and the meaning is that in the Quran is healing for the diseases of ignorance and polytheism, and guidance and mercy. Ibn al-Nahhas favored this and said: "I see this statement as not correctly reported from them; and even if it were correctly reported, it is not correct by reason, for the entire context of the speech is for honey, and the Quran has no mention in it." And the return of the pronoun to the Book in His saying—Sublime is He—("And We did not reveal to you the Book except to make clear to them that in which they have differed") is something that the likes of these noble ones and eminent scholars would hardly say. Yes, that the Quran is a healing is something there is no dispute about. Al-Tabarani and others narrated from Ibn Mas'ud: "Adhere to the two healings: honey and the Quran."

He—Sublime is He—presented the news of the sending down of water because water is more complete in benefit and greater in status, and it is a fundamental root for the formation of milk and what follows it. Then He mentioned milk, because it is needed more than anything else mentioned after it, and sometimes one is dispensed from drinking water by drinking milk, as we have witnessed in some of the ascetics of our time; for some of them abandoned drinking water for several years, contenting themselves with drinking milk. We heard the like of this about some of the leaders of the Bedouins, and it is the evidence of the primordial nature (fitra). For this reason, he—may God bless him and grant him peace—chose it when he was taken on the Night Journey and was offered wine and honey along with it. Then wine, because it is closer to water than honey, for it is the water of grapes, and it was not known to be used as a condiment like honey, for it is often used to condiment bread and is eaten. Between it and milk there is a type of similarity in that each of them emerges from between dense parts, and how much its dregs resemble feces. And if one considers the smoothness in milk and the lack thereof in wine—based on what they say, that it is not easy for it to pass through the throat, and thus its drinker frowns when drinking it, and sometimes he chokes on it—there would be a type of contradiction between them. It is good to place the opposite after the opposite, just as it is good to place the similar after the similar. If one considers the end of their affair religiously, you see that wine was not made permissible to drink after the revelation of the verse concerning it, and the drinking of milk has never ceased to be permissible. By this, the contradiction is strengthened; it is also strengthened by the fact that milk comes out from the belly of an animal, and human action has no role in it, while wine is not like that. As for the mention of "good provision" after wine and its presentation before honey, the face of it is very apparent. Perhaps what we have considered in the face of presenting wine before honey and mentioning it after milk is stronger than what is correctly considered in honey as a face for presenting it before wine and mentioning it after milk, so it cannot be refuted that in every side there is a presentation, so considering them in one without the other is a preference without a preferrer. The mention of water, milk, wine, and honey has come in the description of Paradise in this order. God—Exalted is He—said: ("In it are rivers of water incorruptible, and rivers of milk the taste whereof changes not, and rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey.") Reflect, for the path of the mind has breadth, and God—Exalted is He—knows best the secrets of His Book.

(Indeed, in that) (the mentioned effects of the power of God—Exalted is He) (is a sign) (great) (for a people who reflect).

(For indeed, whoever reflects on the specialization of the bee with those precise sciences and wondrous actions which have passed the indication to, and the emergence of this sweet, multi-colored drink, and its containing healing, would conclude with certainty that it has a Wise, Capable Lord who inspired it with what He inspired and deposited in it what He deposited. And since its affair in that is wondrous, needing more reflection, He—Sublime is He—concluded the verse with reflection.) Among the eccentric interpretations of the Rafida, according to Al-Kashshaf, is that the bees mean Ali—may God honor his face—and his people. From some of them, it was said in the presence of Al-Mahdi: "The bees are the Banu Hashim; knowledge emerges from their bellies." A man said to him: "May God make your food and drink from what emerges from their bellies!" Al-Mahdi laughed, and Al-Mansur narrated it, and they made them a laughingstock. You will hear, if God—Exalted is He—wills, what the Sufis—may God sanctify their secrets—say in the chapter of allusion.