Quran by Topic
The Honeybee
النحل
The Quran addresses the bee in the feminine gender — 'take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and from the trees and that which they build.' 7th-century Arabs believed bees were male leaders. The Quran names them as female workers.
2 verses from the Quran
#01
"And your Lord inspired to the bee, 'Take for yourself (female verb اتَّخِذِي) among the mountains, houses, and from the trees and that which they build.' The grammatical gender is feminine — pointing to the worker bees being female. Pre-1600s European and Arabian beekeeping manuals often assumed the 'king bee' was male."
Arabic
وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى ٱلنَّحْلِ أَنِ ٱتَّخِذِى مِنَ ٱلْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًۭا وَمِنَ ٱلشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ
English (Sahih International)
And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct.
#02
"Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord made easy for you. From within their bellies emerges a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for the people. Honey as 'healing' (شِفَاءٌ) is stated as a specific property — modern research confirms honey's antimicrobial and wound-healing properties."
Arabic
ثُمَّ كُلِى مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ فَٱسْلُكِى سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًۭا ۚ يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌۭ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَٰنُهُۥ فِيهِ شِفَآءٌۭ لِّلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
English (Sahih International)
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.
All Arabic text from the Uthmani edition · All English from Sahih International translation · Topical groupings are based on classical tafsir; scholars may differ on inclusion of specific verses