ثُمَّ كُلِى مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ فَٱسْلُكِى سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا ۚ يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَٰنُهُۥ فِيهِ شِفَآءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ 69
Translations
Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you]." There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought.
Transliteration
Thumma kulī min kulli ath-thamarāti fa-aslukī subulantar-rabbika dhululā. Yakhrujo min butooniha sharābun mukhtalifun alwānuhu fīhi shifā'un lin-nāsi. Inna fī dhālika la-āyatan liqawmin yatafakkarūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the bee to eat from all fruits and traverse the paths of its Lord in humility, then describes how Allah causes honey to emerge from its belly in varying colors, containing healing for mankind. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize this as a sign of Allah's creative wisdom and power—the bee's internal transformation of diverse nectars into a single beneficial substance mirrors divine orchestration of nature. The ayah concludes by highlighting that this miraculous process is a sign specifically for those who reflect and contemplate (yatafakkarūn), appealing to human reason and observation as pathways to faith.
Revelation Context
Surah An-Nahl is a Meccan surah that extensively discusses Allah's blessings and signs throughout creation. This ayah appears within a passage dedicated to various blessings (cattle, fruits, plants, and honey), serving to demonstrate Allah's meticulous design and provision for humanity. The bee's industry and the honey's properties would have been observable miracles familiar to the Arabian audience, making it a powerful argument for tawhīd (monotheism).
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim contain multiple hadiths praising honey's medicinal properties. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: 'The best medicine is honey.' Additionally, there are reports of the Prophet ﷺ recommending honey for cough and digestive ailments, which correlate with the Quranic description of honey containing healing.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah invites believers to observe the natural world as evidence of Allah's perfect design and to use reason and reflection to deepen their faith. It also reminds us that Allah has embedded healing and benefit within His creation, encouraging gratitude for His provisions and seeking knowledge from both revelation and observable reality.