Bees (Al-Nahl)
Verses 66-67 GROUP_581 16.66-67
66
وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً نُّسْقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ مِن بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَّبَنًا خَالِصًا سَآئِغًا لِلشَّارِبِينَ
There is also a lesson for you in cattle. From the contents of their bellies, from between the dung and blood, We give you pure milk to drink, pleasant for those who drink it.
67
وَمِن ثَمَرَاتِ النَّخِيلِ وَالأَعْنَابِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِنْهُ سَكَرًا وَرِزْقًا حَسَنًا إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
From the fruit of the date palm and the grapes you derive intoxicants as well as wholesome food. Surely in this there is a sign for men of understanding.
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Commentary
(a) A characteristic peculiar to milch animals is that whatever they eat is converted into dung and blood yet there emerges along with these a liquid, milk, which is the most valuable food for man. This is also true of the trees. Mud, water and other such things enter them and under the influence of their internal system, they take the shape of juicy fruits which hang from the branches. These occurrences are meant to remind people of God. Through them man should start seeing glimpses of His Majesty. This realization should be so intense that he should spontaneously exclaim, ‘Oh God! You cause milk to come out from non- milk. God, let favourable results emerge from the unfavourable situations I am faced with. God, you transform mud and water into fruits, please turn my valueless life into a valuable one.’ b This gives a hint that the things created by God in this world can be used rightly as well as wrongly. Dates and grapes, if eaten in their natural forms, provide healthy and wholesome food, which give energy to the body and mind. But if through some human process, they are converted into intoxicants, they become harmful to the body and mind.