Honeybees in Bible and Quran
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By: Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil
In this series of articles, I will try to explore this Dogma on
scientific basis to show up that it is forged.
In the present topic of Honeybees, one may ask this: Is the Quran
quoted from the Bible? And which book look good with sciences? The
book which talks about the bees that lived in a cadaver of a lion or
the bees that produce healing products?
Before dealing with the topic of the Honeybees in Quran versus Bible
versus sciences, it is mandatory to give some statistical hints.
The total words in the Bible are 788,280 while total words in the
Quran are 77,473. It follows that, the Bible is more than 10 times the
Quran word-wise. In other words, the Bible has the potential of more
than 10 times than the Quran to exhibit its topics.
Back to the bees, they are mentioned four times in the Bible and once
in the Quran.
Bees in the Bible
Danger of their attacks
The Bible is talking about the danger of the attacks by bees
Deuteronomy 1:44
"And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and
chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah."
Psalm 118:12
"They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of
thorns; For in the name of the LORD I will destroy them."
Could bees live in a cadaver?
It is something very interesting to know that the Bible says that the
bees established their colonies inside a cadaver of a lion and made
honey.
Judges 14:8
"After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see
the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in
the carcass of the lion."
As far as I know, bees NEVER do that and never make their colonies
inside a cadaver of any animal. We know that bees are very clean and
can not live inside a putrefied cadaver.
Bees are they symbol of enemies?
Isaiah 7:18
In that day the LORD will whistle for flies from the distant streams
of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.
According to the Biblical commentaries and dictionary,
It is said that, In Isaiah 7:18 the "fly" and the "bee" are
personifications of the Egyptians and Assyrians, the inveterate
enemies of Israel.
It means that the Bible uses the bees as a symbol of enemies.
Bees in the Quran
It is interesting that the Surah (or chapter) No. 16 called the "The
Honeybee" while there is no chapter in the Bible that is called the
Honeybee!
The Quran describes the functions of the FEMALE bees and their
products.
"And your Lord revealed the FEMALE Honeybee; build homes in mountains,
and trees, and in the hives people built for you.
16-The Honeybee, then to eat of all the produce and fruits (of the
earth), and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord: there
issues from within their bodies a fluid of varying colors (and tastes
and characters), wherein is healing for men: verily in this is a Sign
for those who are thinking".
Surah 16:68-69
In describing the activities of the honeybee, the Quran uses the
feminine gender.
It is known that in Arabic, verbs are conjugated according to gender.
The use in the Quran of the feminine gender in conjugation shows that
the acts were done by the female bee. To address the honeybee in the
verse with the addition of the adjective "female" before the honeybee
would be miraculous.
The following functions are performed by female bees as described in
the Quran:
1- Building of hive
2- Collecting of nectar, new material for production of bee products
3- Making the bee products
4- These bee products have different colors, tastes and characters.
5- These bee products have
At the time of the revelation of the Quran, Arabs did not know the
details of the distribution of work among the bees living in a hive;
they would not recognize that those actively working in the hive were
females. They had no idea about the function of producing honey and
collecting nectar from fruits belonged to female bees. They had no
idea about the bee products.
Therefore, it is interesting, without a doubt, that in listing the
duties of bees, the Quran used the mode of conjugation in the Arabic
intended for the female gender. Not only that but I may admit that the
Quran is the first book on earth which talks about the bee products
that include liquids of different colors, tastes and characters and
have healing effects.
The Honey in Bible and QuranBy: Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil
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In this series of articles, I will try to explore this Dogma on
scientific basis to show up that it is forged.
If we study any topic in Quran versus Bible, we will observe the
immense dissimilarities in both. If we link such dissimilarities to
the sciences, we will realize that sciences are in favor of the Noble
Quran.
In the topic of Honey, one may ask this:
Is the Quran quoted from the Bible? And which book look good with
sciences? The book which talks about the Purification and the healing
effects of Honey or the book which talks about the lips of the strange
woman that drops as a honeycomb?
Before dealing with the topic of the Honey in Quran versus Bible
versus sciences, it is mandatory to give some statistical hints.
The total words in the Bible are 788,280 while total words in the
Quran are 77,473. It follows that, the Bible is more than 10 times the
Quran word-wise. In other words, the Bible has the potential of more
than 10 times than the Quran to present its topics.
Back to the Honey, it is mentioned in the Bible 61 times and two times
in the Quran.
Honey in the Bible
Honey is mentioned in the Bible 61 times
In 20 out of these 61 verses, the bible describes Canaan as a "land
flowing with milk and honey" e.g.
Exodus 3:8
So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and
to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a
land flowing with milk and honey-the home of the Canaanites, Hittites,
Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
Exodus 3:8
And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians,
and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large,
unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the
Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites,
and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
Honey and the lips of a strange woman
Proverbs 5:3
For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is
smoother than oil:
One does not know the relation between the lips of a strange woman and
the Honey.
Honey and the lips of spouse:
Song of Solomon 4:11
Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under
thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of
Lebanon.
Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to
the bones.
Upon asking many orthopedic doctors, they deny any relation between
the pleasant words and health to the bones.
Song of Solomon 5:1
I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my
myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have
drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink
abundantly, O beloved.
In this verse, there is an invitation of friends for food that is
comprised of
honeycomb, honey; wine, milk and spice and attended by his sister and
his spouse
In New Testament it is interesting to know that John the Baptist wore
camel's hair and subsisted on locusts and honey (Matthew 3:4)
Honey in Quran
Honey is mentioned two times in the Quran, the honey that we use is
described in the Quran as a part of the bees' products while the honey
that we have not yet used is described in the Quran as the PURE honey
that is present in the paradise.
Honey as a part of the bees' products
This is the honey present in our life
The Quran describes the process of its formation by bees and the
medical values of it and of the other bees' products.
Surah 16:68-69
"And your Lord revealed the FEMALE Honeybee; build homes in mountains,
and trees, and in the hives people built for you.
16-The Honeybee, then to eat of all the produce and fruits (of the
earth), and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord: there
issues from within their bodies a fluid of varying colors (and tastes
and characters), wherein is healing for men: verily in this is a Sign
for those who are thinking".
The verses not only describe Honey but all the Bees products.
The four main products from the bees are:- Royal Jelly, Bee Pollen,
Propolis and Honey.
They have been used for last few centuries by civilizations around the
world to treat a wide variety of ailments and medical conditions.
They are multipurpose substances that in some forms can be applied
externally to the skin and in other forms ingested as a food or
supplement.
Bee Products are Mother Nature's most incredible gift to our planet,
packed with vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids, bee products
may provide us with essential nutrition to help with our fast-paced
lifestyles.
It follows that the Quran tells us about the healing effects and the
medical values of the Bees products that include the Honey.
On the other hand, the Bible says nothing about the Bees products and
about their healing effects.
Honey in the afterlife:
In Surah 47:15, Honey is mentioned as a gift to the righteous which
believe in Allah.
"(Here is) a Parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised:
in it are rivers of water incorruptible; rivers of milk of which the
taste never changes; rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink; and
rivers of honey pure and clear. In it there are for them all kinds of
fruits; and Grace from their Lord. (Can those in such Bliss) be
compared to such as shall dwell forever in the Fire, and be given, to
drink, boiling water, so that it cuts up their bowels (to pieces)".
This verse gives us some honorable, belief and scientific hints e.g,
1.The fate of the righteous who believe in Allah is described in
short.
2.The incorruptible water and the milk of which the taste never
changes indicate that there will be no bacteria in the Paradise.
3.The fate of the unbelievers will be the dwelling forever in the Fire
and...
Back to the Honey, the verse tells us in an indirect way about the
process of purification of Honey. Since the top kind of Honey will be
in the Paradise, and that Honey is pure and clean, hence, we have to
look for the methods that purify Honey in our life.
In short, the Quran tells us about the purification of Honey and about
the healing effects of the Honey and the other bees' products.
On the other hand, the Bible never tells that.
Hence, one fair intellectual person has to answer this Dogmatic
question:
"Does the Quran quoted or borrowed from the Bible? And which book
looks good with sciences? The book which talks about the Purification
and the healing effects of Honey and the Bees 'products or the book
which talks about the lips of the strange woman that drop as an
honeycomb?.
For more information visit:
Mike
from on this and it is sad. But since you claim to be a prof. and
dr....?
I didn't read the whole post.
You are right probably that "as far as you know". I can see by this
that it is obvious that you seem to make long jumps from one idea to
another. Because "as far as you know" - that makes the Bible wrong? I
have long said that modern science worked this way but this is such a
perfect example.
Who said this was a rotting cadaver? May I suggest you examine the
word. It applies to any ruin state. This could inlcude the skeletal
remains. Note also in Lev. 5:2 it mentions carcase with a definition
of carrion. While the carcase in Judges is a different word - it is
only translated as the same word. It has a different meaning.
I think any beekeeper will tell you that bees will build a home in any
place they decide is fine. Besides you leave out any outside forces
(God's Power) - which most people do when they try to disprove
something from God's Word (like Jonah).
Your post is VERY scientific by modern standards. Mostly ideas pulled
and stretched to appear as facts.
I am sorry if this feels like an attack but when someone throws out in
public such a thing they should expect correcting.
Mike