ALLAH IS ONE
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00This professional beekeeper was surprised by the accuracy of the Qur'an that was dedicated to honeybees.
00:06The realization struck her because the Qur'an which was revealed about 1445 years ago
00:11has detailed information about honeybees that seemed surprisingly advanced for that time.
00:17Her name is Mak K. Orton.
00:19She has a background in entomology and over a decade of experience in beekeeping.
00:24She is now pursuing a master beekeeper certification at Cornell University.
00:29She shared a video on her Instagram account where she was seen holding a translated version of the Qur'an
00:34and started reading Surah An-Nahl.
00:37I heard there was a chapter in the Qur'an about honeybees.
00:40So I had to check it out and this is what I found.
00:42Chapter 16 is called The Bee.
00:45She was surprised to find that the verse mentioning bees within it
00:49consists of precisely 16 words and uses 16 different Arabic letters.
00:55Interestingly, female bees have 16 pairs of chromosomes whereas males have 16 chromosomes.
01:01She loved the fact that Islam respects bees so deeply that it considers killing bees a sin.
01:07And Islam highly, highly respects the bee to the point where it's a sin to kill one.
01:12It should be noted that Islam emphasizes taking care of nature and keep it in balance.
01:18Muslims are encouraged to look after the earth and play their role to protect it.
01:22When it comes to bees, preserving and protecting them aligns with these teachings.
01:27Furthermore, Makkah expressed three main points she admired.
01:30Firstly, she appreciated the verse from the Qur'an about honey,
01:34highlighting its healing properties as well as diverse colors.
01:37She found it magical and intriguing.
01:40Secondly, she admired the message of diligence and dedication portrayed by bees in their hive life
01:45where every member plays a vital role.
01:48She saw it as a beautiful analogy for human life.
01:51Lastly, Makkah noted the gender-specific language used in the Qur'an to describe bees,
01:57particularly the feminine verbs used for actions like building, eating, and forging.
02:03And then number three, the last thing I thought was really cool is that the Qur'an was originally written in Arabic
02:08and the Arabic has female, male verbs.
02:12And the verbs they used to describe the honeybee, building, eating, foraging, working, were all female verbs.
02:20In fact, beekeeping was developed in prehistoric times by people who just wanted honey
02:25but had no scientific background.
02:27Throughout history, it is practically known that bees collect nectar, make honey, and build their hives.
02:33But it was only very recently, precisely in the beginning of the 19th century,
02:38thanks to the works of scientists like Edward Bevan,
02:41that it was discovered that honey is made by female bees, also called worker bees.
02:46Male bees do not produce honey.
02:49But the most important thing to note here is that, although this was discovered very recently,
02:54the Qur'an had already mentioned it in the 7th century when nobody else knew it.
02:58Here's what the Qur'an says.
03:00And your Lord inspired the bees.
03:03Make your homes in the mountains, the trees, and in what people construct,
03:06and feed from the flower of any fruit you please,
03:09and follow the ways your Lord has made easy for you.
03:12From their bellies comes forth liquid of varying colors, in which there is healing for people.
03:17Surely in this is a sign for those who reflect.
03:21This noble verse shows us that the bees that produce honey are female.
03:25You don't need to have an advanced level in Arabic to understand this.
03:28For the verb eat, the Qur'an uses the word kulli to refer to a female.
03:33For a male, the word would be kull.
03:36The verse continues by saying, and follow the ways your Lord has made easy for you.
03:41Again, here Allah uses the Arabic word usluqi, which refers to a female.
03:46When we refer to a male, we say usluq.
03:49The Qur'an tells us that the honey-producing bee has two stomachs.
03:53The Qur'an uses the Arabic word butuniha.
03:56Butun is the plural of batni, and the pronoun ha refers to the third person's singular feminine.
04:02If the subject was plural, meaning several bees and several stomachs,
04:06the word would be butunihina instead of butuniha.
04:09Therefore, here the Qur'an informs us that the female bee which produces honey has more than one stomach.
04:15Today we undoubtedly know with scientific evidence that female bees do have two stomachs,
04:21one being responsible for food and digestion,
04:24while the other stomach is specifically for storing nectar collected from flowers and storing water.
04:29It is this nectar and this water that the bee uses to make honey later.
04:34It is for this very reason that no digestion takes place in the second stomach.
04:40This fact was known only three or four centuries ago,
04:43but the Qur'an revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace of Allah be upon him,
04:47had already announced it several centuries earlier.
04:50Finally, and very important, it is generally known that bees build their hives from their own wax.
04:56But scientists have recently discovered rare species of bees that build hives in woods and even in very solid rocks.
05:04And you know what? The Qur'an had already mentioned this.
05:07How could an illiterate man, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
05:11discover these scientific facts which can only be known after very in-depth research carried out by highly trained people?
05:17So Makai was fascinated by these accurate scientific details found in the Qur'an.
05:22For her, these verses constitute a testimony to the wisdom and timeless greatness of the Holy Qur'an.
05:28Allah says,
05:29We will show them our signs in the universe and within themselves,
05:34until it becomes clear to them that this Qur'an is the truth.
05:38May Allah continue to open people's minds and hearts so that they see the light of Islam.
05:43As-salamu alaykum.