Female Honey Bee in Quran | Entomology Miracle
Quran 16:68-69 uses feminine verb for bees making honey—only female bees produce honey. Discovered millennia later.
Did You Know?
The Quran specifically uses feminine language when referring to bees that make honey, accurately describing a biological fact that wasn't discovered until centuries later - all worker bees are female.
وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا
And your Lord inspired the female bee to take for herself dwellings in mountains, trees, and in that which they construct. Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down...
Quran 16:68-69
Explanation
The Arabic text uses feminine pronouns (اتَّخِذِي - 'take' for feminine, كُلِي - 'eat' for feminine, اسْلُكِي - 'follow' for feminine) when addressing the bee. This precise use of gender in Classical Arabic reveals a remarkable scientific fact: all worker bees, which are the ones that collect nectar and make honey, are female.
Scientific Details
Colony Structure
A honey bee colony consists of one queen bee, thousands of female worker bees, and a small number of male drones. Only the females are involved in honey production, nectar collection, and hive building.
Multiple Stomachs
The verse mentions 'from their bellies' (بُطُونِهَا) in plural form, accurately describing how bees have two stomachs - one for eating and another specifically for storing nectar to make honey.
Navigation System
The verse refers to bees following paths, which science has shown involves complex navigation using the sun's position, polarized light patterns, and the Earth's magnetic field.
Historical Context
In the 7th century CE, the complex social structure of bee colonies was unknown, and there was no way to determine the gender of bees without modern microscopic examination.
References
- Journal of Apiculture Research: Gender Roles in Honey Bee Colonies
- Bee Biology and Evolution Studies (2020)
- Scientific American: The Complex World of Honey Bees
- Entomological Society: Social Structure of Apis Mellifera