Bees are amazing creation of Allah and they have been given a distinct honor. Bees receive revelation, a direct command, from Allah.

It is mentioned in the Quran that Allah sends ‘Wahi”  to bees, Wahi is a supernatural Divine Inspiration, something similar to what was being sent to Prophets. The verse said:

And your Lord inspired to the bee, “Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct. 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. (16:68-69)

In light of above look at this Hadith:

قال رسول الله ﷺ : و الذي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ إِنَّ مَثَلَ المؤمِنِ كَمَثَلِ النَّحْلَةِ أَكَلَتْ طَيِّبَاً و وَضَعَتْ طَيِّبَاً و وَقَعَتْ فَلَمْ تَكْسِرْ و لَمْ تُفْسِدْ

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, believer is like a bee, which eats that which is pure and wholesome and lays that which is pure and wholesome. When it lands on something it does not break or ruin it.”

So first Allah signify bees by telling us that they are recipients of Allah’s revelation and then Messenger of Allah ﷺ swore by Allah to lay emphasis on “The example of the believer is just like the example of the bee” .

Both of these words invite us to ponder, Why Bees? whats so special about them? and how can a Believer be like Bees – so the explanation goes:

• It eats what is pure: A believer is expected to have pure means of sustenance, strive for the best and stay away from ill-manners and lowly actions like Bees who only chose the best, pure and fresh flowers over immature and rotten ones.
• It Gives what is pure: A believer is expected to be an asset to its surroundings, All what that comes forth a believer, be it his words or his actions add some benefit to the society and creation. Just like Bees, who produce honey, a sweet elixir which posses cure to so many ailments.
• It sits well: A believer always gives more than what it takes, like bees who take nectar from the flowers and in return give them something that’s priceless – their life, in form of pollens.
• It doesn’t Break or Ruin it: In relationships, a believer is warm, easy going and gentle, and does not harm any creation of Allah. Like bees who hover over instead of sitting on the flowers because ‘sitting’ might break/ruin it.

Some more lessons which bees teach us:

• Teamwork: A believer builds communities and believes in working together with others in harmony, he understands that collaboration is essential for survival. Like Bees who work together in a hive to produce Honey.
• Communication: A believer is selfless, give good counsel and believes in sharing the blessings that he is bestowed upon with his fellow human beings. Just like bees do a special Bee-dance when they discover a new food source, in order to communicate the source so others can also reap the benefits. (check this amazing phenomena here: https://youtu.be/bFDGPgXtK-U)
• Hardwork: Believer is a hardworking individual. Like honey bees who have to fly around 90,000 miles, the equivalent of three orbits around the earth, in order to collect 1 kg of honey. (*jaws drop down to floor!* and then respect comes oozing for Bees)

The awesomest and MY favorite part: The verse referred above is all in the feminine tense. Since Quran is very specific in its use of gender, we explore the world of bees and find that it is a female’s world. The females are dominant there, they work hard and they build & defend their home – the hive. Male bees only contribute to the reproduction process.

So Allah sends wahi to a female bee instructing her to “Take/Make her home”. I was awed by this line, Females. making homes. rings any bell? How awesome is that!

After being inspired again, I decided to introduce the wondrous nature of honey bee to my toddlers, and crafting is best teaching way. So we crafted.

We made this Egg carton Honey bee – We used:

• Egg carton
• Paint & Brushes
• Gluegun
• googly-eyes
• pipe cleaner

I cut two pairs of two block and let the kids color it yellow, then I drew black strips and let the kids paste the eyes. I then added an antenna and wings made out of pipe cleaners. was an instant hit. They both buzzed their bees for a while.

Clothespin-beecraft: 

For the second one we  use a clothespin and tissue to make a small bee – which Ib flew after he had torn apart his egg-carton one.

Finger Puppet: and last we made a Honey-bee finger puppet. using Cardboard and paper.

Bee-loving Today!!

Note: I was introduced to this Bee-loving by this Lecture by Br. Nouman Ali Khan Here.