16al-NaḥlThe Beeسُورَةُ النحل

Allah’s Judgement is [bound to] come: do not, therefore, call for its speedy advent! Limitless is He in His glory and sublimely exalted above anything to which others may ascribe a share in His divinity/authority.

He causes the angels to descend with this divine inspiration, [bestowed] at His behest, upon whomever He wills of His subjects, “Warn [all human beings] that there is no deity/authority save Me, be therefore, conscious of Me and be on guard [especially My power and authority]!”

He has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with truth [and justice]; sublimely exalted is He above anything to which others may ascribe a share in His divinity/authority!

He creates the social being of a [mere] drop of sperm [gametes, zygote] and lo! This same being shows himself [throughout a lifetime] endowed with the power to become an obvious hostile character!

And He creates cattle: you derive warmth from them, and [various other] uses; and from them you obtain food to eat:

And you find beauty in them when you drive them home in the evenings and when you take them out to pasture in the mornings.

And they carry your loads to [many] a place that [otherwise] you would be unable to reach without great hardship to yourselves. Verily, your Sustainer is most compassionate, profoundly gracious!

And [it is He who creates] horses and mules and donkeys for you to ride, as well as for [their] beauty; and He will yet create things of which [even today] you have no knowledge.

And [because He is your Creator], it rests with Allah alone to show you the right path: yet there is [many a one] who swerves from it. However, had He so willed He would have guided you all aright.

It is He who sends down water from the sky; you drink thereof, and thereof [drink] the plants upon which you pasture your beasts;

[And] by virtue thereof He causes crops to grow for you, and olive trees, and date-palms, and grapes, and all [other] kinds of blossoming produce: in this behold, there is a message indeed for people who think!

And He has made the night and the day and the Sun and the Moon subservient [to His laws, so that they may be of use] to you; and all the stars are subservient to His command and a utility for you: in this, behold, there are power demonstrations indeed for people who use their reason!

And all the [beauty of] many hues that He has created for you on earth: in this, behold, there is a [power and authority] message for people who [are willing to] take it to heart!

And He it is who has made the sea subservient [to His laws and therefore useful for you], so that you might eat tender [and fresh] meat from it, and extract from it gems that you may wear. And on that [very sea] one sees ships ploughing through the waves, so that you might [be able to] go forth in quest of some of His bounty, and thus have cause to be grateful [to Him].

And He has placed firm anchors [mountains] on earth, lest it sway with you, and rivers and paths, so that you might find your way,

As well as [various other] means of designs [for direction and orientation] for [it is] by the stars that they [navigators] find their way.

Is, then, He who creates comparable to any [being] that cannot create? Will you not, then, consciously bethink yourselves?

For, should you try to count Allah’s blessings, you could never compute them! Behold, Allah is indeed much-forgiving, exceptionally merciful;

And Allah knows all that you keep secret as well as all that you bring into the open.

Now those beings that some people invoke beside Allah cannot create anything, rather they themselves are created:

They are dead, not living, and they do not [even] know when they will be raised from the dead!

Your god is One [not many a] God; consequently those who are not faithfully definite about the life [and world] to come have hearts of denial [and above all] they are conceited.

Actually, God knows all that they keep secret as well as all that they bring into the open — [and], He does not love those who are given to conceit,

And if they are asked, “What is it that your Sustainer has conferred from heaven above?” — they answer, “Myths of ancient folks!”

Hence, on Resurrection Day they shall bear the full weight of their own burdens, as well as some of the burdens of those ignorant ones whom they have led astray: oh, how evil the load with which they shall be burdened!

Those who lived before them did, too, devise many a stratagem — whereupon Allah visited with destruction all that they had ever built, [striking] at its very foundations, so that the roof fell in upon them from above, and suffering befell them without their having perceived whence it came.

And then, on Resurrection Day, He will cover them [all] with ignominy, and will say, “Where, now, are those beings to whom you ascribed a share in My divinity/authority, [and] for whose sake you cut yourselves off [from My guidance and prophets]?” [Whereupon] those who [in their lifetime] were endowed with knowledge will say, “Verily, ignominy and misery [have fallen] this day upon those who have been denying the truth [relating to Allah’s power and authority] —

“Those whom the angels have gathered in death while they were still doing wrong against themselves!” Then will they [who are thus arraigned] proffer their submission [saying], “We did not [mean to] do any injustice!” [But they will be answered], “Sure, [but] of course Allah has full knowledge of all that you were doing!

Hence, enter the gates of Hell, therein to abide!” And terrible, indeed, shall be the state of all who are given to arrogance and false pride!

But [when] those who are conscious and shielding themselves [from Allah’s might for what is right] are asked, “What is it that your Sustainer has conferred from heaven above?” — they answer, “Gracious goodness!” Good fortune awaits, in this world, all who persevere in doing better; but their ultimate state will be far better still: for, how excellent indeed will be the state of those who avoid [a clash with Allah’s power and authority]!

Gardens of perpetual bliss will they enter — [gardens] through which running waters flow — having therein all that they might decide on. Thus will Allah reward those who are conscious and watchful of Him [His power and authority] —

Those whom the angels gather in death while they are in a state of properness, greeting them thus, “Peace be upon you! Enter Paradise by virtue of what you were doing [in life]!”

Are they [who deny the truth concerning Allah’s power and authority] but waiting for the angels to appear to them, or for Allah’s judgement to become manifest? In the same manner did those [stubborn sinners] behave who lived before their time; and [when they were destroyed], it was not Allah who wronged them, but it was they who had wronged themselves:

For all the malicious things they had done fell [back] upon them, and they were overwhelmed by the very thing they had been accustomed to deride [when they lived their life on earth].

Now they who ascribe divinity/authority to anyone/anything beside Allah say, “Had Allah so willed, we would not have complied with anything/anyone but Him — neither we nor our forefathers; nor would we have declared anything as unlawful without a commandment from Him.” Even thus did speak those [wrongdoers] who lived before their time; but, then, are the envoys [appointed by Allah] bound to do more than clearly deliver [and explain] the message [entrusted to them by Allah]?

And indeed, within every community [and society] have We raised up an envoy [entrusted with this message], “Comply with Allah, and shun the excessive [obsessive] powers [of nature or man]!” And among those [past generations] were people whom Allah graced with His guidance, just as there was among them [many a one] who inevitably fell prey to grievous error: go, then, about the earth and behold what happened in the end to those liars [who contested Our messages and messengers]!

[As for those who are bent on rejecting Our worldly power and authority] — though you [O Muhammad] be ever so eager to show them the right way — [know that] indeed Allah does not award His guidance to any whom He judges to have gone astray; and such shall have none to bolster them [especially in the life to come].

As it is, they swear by Allah with their most solemn oaths, “Never will Allah raise from the dead anyone who has died!” Yes indeed! [This very thing has Allah promised] by a solemn undertaking that He has willed upon Himself; but most people know it not.

[He will revive them] to the end that He might make clear to them all that they [now] hold in divergent views, and that they who are bent on denying the truth [pointing to Allah’s authority and power] might come to know that they were liars.

Whenever We will anything to be, We but say to it Our word — “Be” — and it is.

Now as for those who forsake the domain of injustice for the cause of Allah, after having suffered grievance [on account of their faith-commitment], We shall most certainly grant them a station of good fortune in this world: but their reward in the life to come will be far greater yet. If [only] they [the kāfirs] could but understand

Those who, having persisted in their struggle, in their Sustainer place their trust!

And [even] before your time, [O Muhammad,] We never sent [as Our messengers] any but [mortal] men, whom We inspired: and if you have not [yet] realized this, ask those who are conscious [of Us],

[And they will tell you that their prophets, too, were but mortal men whom We had endowed] with all evidence of truth and with books of divine wisdom. And upon you [too] have We bestowed from on high this aide-memoire, so that you might clarify to all mankind all that has ever been thus bestowed upon them, and that they might think it over.

Can, then, they who devise evil schemes ever feel sure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them, or that suffering will not befall them without their perceiving from what place or source [it came]?

Or that He will not take them to task [suddenly] in the midst of their comings and goings, without their being able to elude [Him],

Or take them to task through slow decay? And yet, behold, your Sustainer is most compassionate, exceedingly merciful!

Have, then, they [the kāfirs] never considered any of the things that Allah has created — [how] their shadows turn right and left, prostrating themselves before Allah and utterly submissive [to His will]?

For, in front of Allah, all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth prostrate themselves — every beast that moves, and the angels; [even] these do not bear themselves in false pride:

They fear their Sustainer high above them, and do whatever they are commanded to do.1

And Allah has said, “Do not take to espousing two [or more] deities/authorities. He is the One and Only God: hence, of Me alone stand in awe!”

And His is all that is in the heavens and on earth, and to Him [alone] obedience is always due: will you, then, pay reverence to anyone/ anything but Him?

For, whatever perquisite comes to you, comes from Allah; and whenever impairment befalls you, it is to Him that you cry for help —

Yet as soon as He has removed the impairment from you, lo! Some of you [begin to] ascribe to other worldly powers a share in their Sustainer’s divinity/authority,

[As if] to prove their ingratitude for all that We have granted them! Enjoy, then, your [brief] life: but in time you will come to know [the truth about Allah’s power and authority]!

As it is, they ascribe — out of what We provide for them as sustenance — a share to things of which they know nothing. [An oath] by Allah: you shall most certainly be called to account for all your [religious and ideological] fabrications!

And [thus, too], they ascribe daughters unto Allah, who is limitless in His glory — whereas for themselves [they choose, if they could, only] what they desire:

For, whenever any of them is given the good news of [the birth of] a girl, his face darkens, and he is filled with suppressed anger,

Avoiding all people because of the [alleged] evil of the good news he has received, [and debating within himself]: shall he keep this [child] despite the contempt [he feels for it], or shall he bury it in the dust? Oh, terribly evil indeed is whatever they decide!

[Thus it is that] the attribute of evil applies to all who do not have confidence in the life to come — whereas unto Allah applies the attribute of all that is most sublime: for He alone is the Magnificent, the Truly Wise!

Now if Allah were to take people [immediately] to task for all the injustice they do [on earth], He would not leave a single living creature upon its face. However, He grants them respite until a term set [by Him]: but when the end of their term approaches, they can neither delay it by a single moment, nor can they hasten it.

As it is, they ascribe to Allah something that they [themselves] dislike — and [all the while] their tongues utter the lie that [by doing so] they earn supreme merit! Truly, they earn but the Fire, and will be left out [of Allah’s grace]!

By Allah, [O Prophet], even before your time We did send messengers to [various] communities [and societies], but [those who decided on denying Allah’s power and authority have always refused to listen to Our messages because] Satan has made all their own doings seem perfectly normal to them: and he is [as] close to them today [as he was to the sinners of yore]; hence, grievous suffering awaits them.

And upon you [too] have We bestowed from on high this divine Writ for no other reason than that you might make clear to them all [questions of faith-commitment] on which they have come to hold divergent views, and [thus offer] guidance and grace to people who will commit [to Allah].

And Allah sends down water from the sky, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless: in this, behold, there is a demonstration of Allah’s power and authority indeed for people who [are willing to] listen.

And, indeed, in the cattle [too] there is certainly a lesson for you: We give you to drink of the [fluid] that is [secreted from] within their bellies between that which is to be eliminated [from the animal’s body] and [its] life-blood: milk pure and pleasant to those who drink it.

And [We grant you nourishment] from the blossoms of date-palms and vines: from it you derive intoxicants as well as wholesome sustenance — in this, behold, there is a demonstration of Allah’s power and authority indeed for people who use their reason!

And [consider how] your Sustainer has inspired the bee, “Prepare for yourself dwellings in mountains and in trees, and in what they [people] may build [for you by way of hives and apiaries];

“And then take in of all kinds of fruit-blossoms, and follow humbly the paths ordained for you by your Sustainer.” [And lo!] there emerges from within these [bees] a fluid [honey] of many hues, wherein there is remedy for human beings. In all this, behold, there is a demonstration of Allah’s power and authority indeed for people who think!

And Allah has created you, and in time will cause your life to expire; and many a one of you is reduced in old age to a most abject [physical or mental] state, ceasing to know anything of what he once knew so well. Indeed, Allah is all-knowing, infinite in His power!

And upon some of you Allah has bestowed more abundant means of sustenance than on others: and yet, they who are more abundantly favored are [often] unwilling to share their sustenance with those who are in the honorable custody of their right hands, so that they [all] might be equal in this respect. Will they, then, Allah’s blessings [thus] denigrate?

And Allah has given you mates of your own kind and has given you, through your mates, children and children’s children, and has provided for you sustenance out of the good and wholesome things of life. Will they, then, [continue to] trust in things false and vain, and thus blaspheme against Allah’s blessings!?

And will they [continue to] revere, instead of Allah, something that has not within its power to provide for them any sustenance whatever from the heavens or the earth, and can do nothing at all?

Hence, do not coin any similitudes for Allah! Indeed, Allah knows [all], whereas you have no [real] knowledge.

Allah propounds [to you] the parable of [two individuals] — the one enslaved, unable to do anything of his own accord, and the other upon whom We have bestowed goodly and complimentary sustenance [as a gift] from Ourselves, so that he can spend thereof [at will, both] secretly and openly. Can these [two] be deemed equal? All praise is due to Allah [alone]: but most of them do not understand it.

And Allah propounds [to you] the parable of two [other] men — one of them dumb, unable to do anything of his own accord, and a sheer burden on his chief: to whichever task the latter directs him, he accomplishes no good. Can such a person be considered the equal of [a wise individual] who enjoins the implementation of justice and he himself follows a straight way?

And Allah’s [alone] is the knowledge of the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth. And so, the advent of the Last Hour will but manifest itself [in a single moment], like the twinkling of an eye, or closer still: for, behold, Allah has the power to will anything.

And Allah has brought you forth from your mothers’ wombs knowing nothing — but He has endowed you with hearing, and sight, and minds, so that you might have cause to be grateful.

Have, then, they [who are in denial of Allah’s power and authority] never considered the birds, enabled [by Allah] to fly in mid- air, with none but Allah holding them aloft? In this, behold, there are demonstrations [of Allah’s power and authority] indeed for people who are committed [to Allah]!

And Allah has given you [the ability to build] your houses as places of rest, and has endowed you with [the skill to make] dwellings out of the skins of animals — easy for you to handle when you travel and when you camp — and [to make] furnishings and goods for temporary use of the [rough] wool and their soft, furry wool and their hair.

And among the many objects of His creation, Allah has appointed for you [various] means of protection [against atmospheric changes]: thus, He has given you in the mountains places of shelter, and has endowed you with [the ability to make] garments to protect you from heat [and cold], as well as such attire as might protect you from your [mutual] violence. In this way does He bestow the full measure of His blessings on you, so that you might surrender yourselves to Him.

But if they turn away [from you, O Prophet, remember that] your only duty is a clear delivery of the message [entrusted to you].

They [who turn away from it] are fully aware of Allah’s blessings, but nonetheless they refuse to acknowledge them [as such], since most of them are given to denying the truth [about Allah’s pertinent power and necessary authority].

But one Day We shall raise up a witness out of every community [and society], whereupon they who are focused on denying the truth [pertaining to Allah’s power and authority] will not be allowed to plead [ignorance], and neither will they be allowed to make amends.

And when they who are bent on injustice visualize the suffering [that awaits them, they will realize that] it will not be lightened for them [by virtue of their pleading]; and neither will they be granted respite.

And when they who were accustomed to ascribing divinity/authority to beings other than Allah set sight [on Judgement Day] on those beings to whom they were habituated to ascribe a share in His divinity/authority, they will exclaim, “O our Sustainer! These are the beings to whom we ascribed a share in Your divinity/authority, and whom we were attuned to invoke instead of You!” — whereupon [those beings] will fling at them the retort, “Behold, you have indeed been lying [to yourselves]!”

And on that Day will they [who had thus been sinning, belatedly] proffer their surrender to Allah; and all their fabricated imagery will have forsaken them.

Upon all who were in their worldly convention of denying the truth [concerning Allah’s power and authority] and who turned others away from the path of Allah will We heap suffering upon suffering in return for all the corruption that they wrought:

For one Day We shall raise up within every community and society a witness against them from among themselves. And you [too, O Prophet], have We brought forth to bear witness regarding those [whom your message may have reached], inasmuch as We have bestowed from on high upon you, step by step, this divine Writ, to make everything clear, and to provide guidance and grace and good news to all who have surrendered themselves to Allah.

Surely, Allah demands justice, and aptness [of endeavors], and openhandedness toward the nearest and dearest; and He prohibits depravity and self-evident social vice and belligerence; He exhorts you [repeatedly] so that you might remain conscious [of these urgings].

And fulfill Allah’s pledge whenever you promise [Him to do so], and do not call off [your] oaths after having [voluntarily] confirmed them and having called upon Allah to be witness to you [and your good faith]: behold, Allah knows all that you do.

Hence, be not like her who breaks and completely undoes the yarn she [herself] has spun and made strong — [be not like this by] using your oaths as a means of deceiving one another, simply because some of you may be more powerful [and influential] than others. By all this, Allah but puts you to a test — and [He does it] so that on Resurrection Day He might make clear to you all that on which you were inclined to differ.

For, had Allah so willed, He could surely have made you all one single community [or society]; however, He lets go astray him that wills [to go astray], and guides aright him that wills [to be guided]: and you will surely be called to account for all that you ever did!

And so do not use your oaths as a means of deceiving one another — or else [your] foot will slip after having been firm, and then you will have to taste the evil [consequences] of your having turned away from the path of Allah, with tremendous suffering awaiting you [in the life to come].

Hence, do not barter away your bond with Allah for a trifling gain! Verily, that which is with Allah is by far the best for you, if you but knew it:

All that is with you is bound to be depleted, whereas that which is with Allah is everlasting. And most certainly shall We grant to those who are patient in hard times their reward in accordance with the best that they ever did.

As for anyone — be it male or female — who does righteous deeds, and is a committed muslim withal, him shall We most certainly cause to live a good life; and most certainly shall We grant to such as these their reward in accordance with the best that they ever did.

Now whenever you happen to read this Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed.

Indeed, he [Satan] has no power over those who have committed themselves [to Allah] and in their Sustainer place their trust:

He [Satan] has power only over those who are willing to follow him, and who [thus] ascribe to him a share in Allah’s divinity/authority.

And now that We replace one verse illustration [of Our power and authority] by another — since Allah is fully aware of what He bestows from on high, step by step — they [who deny His power and authority] are accustomed to saying, “You [O Muhammad] but fabricate it!” More accurately, most of them do not understand it!

Say, “The [angelic] spirit of holiness has brought it down from your Sustainer by stages, setting forth truth and justice, so that it might give firmness to those who are committed [to Allah’s power and authority], and provide guidance and good news to all who have surrendered themselves to Allah.”

And, indeed, full well do We know that they say, “It is but a human being that imparts [all] this [Qur’anic content] to him [Muhammad]!” — [notwithstanding that] the language of him to whom they so maliciously point is wholly outlandish [and non-Arabic], whereas this is Arabic speech, clear [in and of itself] and clearly showing the truth [of its source].

Indeed, as for those who will not believe and trust in Allah’s illustrations [of power and authority], Allah does not guide them aright; and grievous suffering will be their lot [in the life to come].

It is but they who will not affirm Allah’s illustrations [of power and authority] that invent this falsehood; and it is they, they who are liars!

As for anyone who negates Allah after having once affirmed Him — and this to be sure does not apply to one who does it under duress, the while his heart remains true to his faith-commitment, but [only to] him who willingly opens up his heart to a negation [of Allah’s power and authority] — upon all such [people falls] Allah’s condemnation, and tremendous suffering awaits them:

All this, because they hold this world’s life in greater esteem than the life to come, and because Allah does not bestow His guidance upon people who are in denial [of His power and authority].

They whose hearts and whose hearing and whose sight Allah has sealed — it is they, they who are heedless!

Without doubt, it is they, they who in the life to come shall be the losers!

And yet, behold, your Sustainer [grants His forgiveness] to those who forsake the domain of injustice after being exposed to its tumult, and who thenceforth strive hard [in Allah’s cause] and are patient in trying times: indeed, after such [repentance] your Sustainer is certainly much-forgiving, very merciful.

[Be conscious, then, of] the Day when every living being shall come to plead for himself [alone], and every living being shall be repaid in full for whatever he has done, and none shall be wronged.

And Allah propounds [to you] a parable: [imagine] a town that was [once] secure and at ease, with its sustenance coming to it abundantly from all quarters, and that thereupon blasphemously refused to show gratitude for Allah’s blessings; and therefore Allah caused it to taste the all-embracing misery of hunger and fear in result of all [the evil and injustice] that its people had so persistently wrought.

And indeed, there had come to them an apostle from among themselves, but they attributed lies to him; and therefore suffering overwhelmed them while they were thus doing wrong [to themselves].

And so, partake and eat of all the lawful, good things that Allah has provided for you as sustenance and render thanks to Allah for His blessings, if it is [truly] Him that you conform to.

He has forbidden to you only carrion [the meat of an animal that has not been sacrificed according to divine instructions], and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any name other than Allah’s has been invoked; but if one is driven [to it] by necessity — neither coveting it nor exceeding his immediate need — verily, Allah is much forgiving, very merciful.

Hence, do not utter falsehoods by letting your tongues determine [at your own discretion], “This is lawful and that is forbidden,” thus attributing your own lying inventions to Allah: for, indeed, they who attribute their own lying inventions to Allah will never attain success!

A brief enjoyment [may be theirs in this world] — but grievous suffering awaits them [in the life to come]!

And [only] to those who followed the Jewish faith did We forbid all that We have mentioned to you before this; and no wrong did We do to them, but it was they who persistently wronged themselves.

And once again: behold, your Sustainer [shows mercy] to those who do unpleasant things out of ignorance and afterward repent and live righteously: behold, after such [repentance] your Sustainer is indeed much forgiving, very merciful.

Indeed, Ibrāhīm was a virtual ummah, devoutly obeying Allah’s will, [independently] turning away from all that is false, and not being of those who ascribe divinity/authority to anyone/anything beside Allah:

[For he was always] grateful for the blessing granted by Him who had elected him and guided him onto a straight way.

And so We vouchsafed him good in this world; and, verily in the life to come [too] he shall find himself among the righteous.

And lastly, We have inspired you, [O Muhammad, with this message], “Follow the social orientation of Ibrāhīm, who [by himself] turned away from all that is false, and was not of those who ascribe divinity/authority to anyone/anything besides Allah;

“[And know that the observance of] the Sabbath was ordained only for those who came to hold divergent views about him [Prophet Mūsā]; but, verily, Allah will judge between them on Resurrection Day with regard to all on which they were systematically at odds.”

Summon [all mankind] to your Sustainer’s path with wisdom and pleasant exhortation, and argue with them in the most kindly manner: for, behold, your Sustainer knows best as to who strays from His path, and He knows best as to who are the right-guided.

Hence, if you have to respond to an assault [in argument or otherwise], respond only to the extent of the assault leveled against you; but to bear yourselves with patience is indeed far better for [you, since Allah is with] those who are patient in times of hardship.

Endure, then, with patience [all that they who deny the truth about Allah may say] — always remembering that it is none but Allah who gives you the strength to endure adversity — and do not grieve over them, and neither be distressed by the false arguments they devise:

For, indeed, Allah is with those who are carefully conscious of Him and are doers of good withal!2