16. Sūrat al-Naḥl

١٦۔ سُورَةُ النَّحْل

Qurʾān > Chapter 16 > Section 10
القرآن > كتاب ١٦ > باب ١٠

16.10 There is a lesson for humankind in the lives of animals i.e., milk-producing animals and the honeybee.

١٦۔١٠ مقطع في سُورَةُ النَّحْل

quran:16:66 –

And indeed, for you in grazing livestock is a lesson. We give you drink from what is in their bellies - between excretion and blood - pure milk, palatable to drinkers.  

And truly for you there is in the cattle a lesson, an example to learn from. We give you to drink — ˹this introduces˺ the explanation of the ‘lesson’ — of that which is in their bellies, the cattle’s ˹bellies˺, from (min indicates a new subject and is semantically connected to nusqīkum, ‘We give you to drink’) between the refuse, the intestinal waste, and the blood, pure milk, uncontaminated by either the refuse or the blood, neither in its taste, odour or colour, even though it ˹the milk˺ is ˹situated˺ between the two, palatable to drinkers, easily passing down their throats, not causing any choking.
القرآن:١٦:٦٦ –

وَإِنَّ لَكُمْ فِي الْأَنْعَامِ لَعِبْرَةً ۖ نُسْقِيكُمْ مِمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِ مِنْ بَيْنِ فَرْثٍ وَدَمٍ لَبَنًا خَالِصًا سَائِغًا لِلشَّارِبِينَ  

{وإن لكم في الأنعام لعبرة} اعتبار {نسقيكم} بيان للعبرة {مما في بطونه} أي الأنعام {من} للابتداء متعلقة بنسقيكم {بين فرث} ثفل الكرش {ودمٍ لبناً خالصاً} لا يشوبه شيء من الفرث والدم من طعم أو ريح أو لون أو بينهما {سائغاًً للشاربين} سهل المرور في حلقهم لا يغص به.
quran:16:67 –

And from the fruits of the palm trees and grapevines you take intoxicant and good provision. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who reason.  

And of the fruits of date-palms and vines, ˹comes forth˺ a fruit, from which you draw an intoxicant, a wine that intoxicates — it ˹the wine˺ is referred to by the verbal noun ˹sakaran, ‘intoxicant’˺, and this ˹verse˺ came before it was prohibited — and goodly provision, such as dates, raisins, vinegar, and molasses. Surely in that, which is mentioned, there is a sign, indicating His power, exalted be He, for a people who understand, ˹a people who˺ reflect.
القرآن:١٦:٦٧ –

وَمِنْ ثَمَرَاتِ النَّخِيلِ وَالْأَعْنَابِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِنْهُ سَكَرًا وَرِزْقًا حَسَنًا ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ  

{ومن ثمرات النخيل والأعناب} ثمر {تتخذون منه سكراً} خمراً يسكِر سميت بالمصدر وهذا قبل تحريمها {ورزقاً حسناً} كالتمر والزبيب والخل والدبس {إن في ذلك} المذكور {لآية} دالة على قدرته تعالى {لقوم يعقلون} يتدبرون.
quran:16:68 –

And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and ˹in˺ that which they construct.  

And your Lord revealed to the bee, a revealing ˹effected˺ through inspiration, ˹saying˺ (an, ‘that’, is either explicative or relates to the verbal noun): ‘Choose among the hills habitations, to which you can resort, and among the trees, ˹also˺ habitations, and among the trellises which they raise, that is, the places which humans build for you — for otherwise it ˹the bee˺ would not resort to these ˹places˺.
القرآن:١٦:٦٨ –

وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ  

{وأوحى ربك إلى النحل} وحي إلهام {أن} مفسرة أو مصدرية {اتخذي من الجبال بيوتاً} تأوين إليها {ومن الشجر} بيوتًا {ومما يعرشون} أي الناس يبنون لك من الأماكن وإلا لم تأو إليها.
quran:16:69 –

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.  

Then eat from every ˹kind of˺ fruit, and follow, enter, the ways of your Lord, ˹follow˺ His paths in seeking pastures, ˹ways˺ made easily accessible’ (dhululan is the plural of dhalūl, and is a circumstantial qualifier referring to al-subul, ‘the ways’, in other words, ˹those paths˺ disposed for you, such that they pose no difficulty for you, even if it should be rough ˹terrain˺, and ˹such that˺ you would not lose your way when returning therefrom, even if it be far away; it ˹dhululan˺ is also said to be ˹a circumstantial qualifier˺ referring to the person of ˹the pronominal suffix of˺ fa’slukī, ‘you follow’, meaning ˹in this case˺ ˹follow those paths˺ in compliance with what is required of you). There comes forth from their bellies a drink, namely, honey, of diverse hues, wherein is a cure for mankind, from ˹all˺ ailments; it is also said ˹that it means that it is a cure only˺ for some ˹ailments˺, as indicated by the indefinite ˹noun˺ shifā’un, ‘a cure’; or ˹that it is a cure˺ for all ˹ailments˺ when supplemented with some other ˹remedy˺; or without these ˹other remedies˺ but with the resolve (niyya) ˹to get better˺. The Prophet (s) used to prescribe it for anyone suffering from stomach pains, as reported by the two Shaykhs ˹Bukhārī and Muslim˺. Surely in that there is a sign for a people who reflect, upon God’s handiwork, exalted be He.
القرآن:١٦:٦٩ –

ثُمَّ كُلِي مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا ۚ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ  

{ثم كلي من كل الثمرات فاسلكي} ادخلي {سبل ربك} طرقه في طلب المرعى {ذللا} جمع ذلول حال من السبل أي مسخرة لك فلا تعسر عليك وإن توعرت ولا تضلي على العود منها وإن بعدت، وقيل من الضمير في اسلكي أي منقادة لما يراد منك {يخرج من بطونها شراب} هو العسل {مختلف ألوانه فيه شفاء للناس} من الأوجاع قيل لبعضها كما دل عليه تنكير شفاء أو لكلها بضميمته إلى غيره وبدونها بنيته وقد أمر به ﷺ من استطلق عليه بطنه رواه الشيخان {إن في ذلك لآية لقوم يتفكرون} في صنعه تعالى.
quran:16:70 –

And Allah created you; then He will take you in death. And among you is he who is reversed to the most decrepit ˹old˺ age so that he will not know, after ˹having had˺ knowledge, a thing. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Competent.  

And God has created you, when you were nothing, then He takes you ˹in death˺, when your terms ˹of life˺ are concluded; and there are some among you who are relegated to the most abject stage of life, that is, the most diminished, because of old-age and senility, so that he knows nothing after ˹having possessed˺ some knowledge. ‘Ikrima said, ‘Whoever recites the Qur’ān will not come to such a predicament’. God is Knowing, of how to manage ˹the affairs of˺ His creation, Powerful, in ˹doing˺ what He will.
القرآن:١٦:٧٠ –

وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ ۚ وَمِنْكُمْ مَنْ يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰ أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ  

{والله خلقكم} ولم تكونوا شيئاً {ثم يتوفاكم} عند انقضاء آجالكم {ومنكم من يرد إلى أرذل العمر} أي أخسه من الهرم والخرف {لكي لا يعلم بعد علم شيئاً} قال عكرمة من قرأ القرآن لم يصر بهذه الحالة {إن الله عليم} بتدبير خلقه {قدير} على ما يريده.