Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nahl Verse 69

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Then, eat from all the fruits, and go along the pathways of your Lord made easy for you.” From their bellies comes out a drink of various colors in which there is cure for people. Surely, in that there is a sign for a people who ponder.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

and feed from ˹the flower of˺ any fruit ˹you please˺ and follow the ways your Lord has made easy for you.” From their bellies comes forth liquid of varying colours, in which there is healing for people. Surely in this is a sign for those who reflect.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Then feed on every kind of fruit and follow the ways that your Lord made easy for you.” There comes out from their bellies a drink of various colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed, there is a sign in this for people who reflect.

A. J. Arberry

Then eat of all manner of fruit, and follow the ways of your Lord easy to go upon.' Then comes there forth out of their bellies a drink of diverse hues wherein is healing for men. Surely in that is a sign for a people who reflect.

Abdul Haleem

Then feed on all kinds of fruit and follow the ways made easy for you by your Lord.’ From their bellies comes a drink of different colours in which there is healing for people. There truly is a sign in this for those who think.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Then eat thou of all the fruits and tread the ways of thy Lord made easy. There springeth forth from their bellies a drink varied in colours; therein is healing for mankind; verily therein is a sign for a people who reflect.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Then to eat of all the produce (of the earth), and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord; there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colours, wherein is healing for men; verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought.

Abul Ala Maududi

then suck the juice of every kind of fruit and keep treading the ways of your Lord which have been made easy." There comes forth from their bellies a drink varied in colours, wherein there is healing for men. Verily there is a sign in this for those who reflect.

Ahmed Ali

And suck from all fruits and flit about the unrestricted paths of their Lord. A drink of various hues comes out of their bellies which contains medicine for men. In this is a sign for those who reflect.

Ahmed Raza Khan

“Then eat from all kinds of fruits, and tread the ways of your Lord which are soft and easy for you”; from their bellies comes a drink of various colours, in which is health for mankind; indeed in this is a sign for people who ponder.

Ali Quli Qarai

Then eat from every [kind of] fruit and follow meekly the ways of your Lord.’ There issues from its belly a juice of diverse hues, in which there is a cure for the people. There is indeed a sign in that for a people who reflect.

Ali Ünal

"Then eat of all the fruits, and returning with your loads follow the ways your Lord has made easy for you." There comes forth from their bellies a fluid of varying color, wherein is health for human beings. Surely in this there is a sign for people who reflect.

Amatul Rahman Omar

`Then eat of every (kind of) fruit and follow the ways (and laws) of your Lord as that have been made easy (for you).´ There comes forth from their insides a fine fluid of varying hues which is a cure for the people. Infact, in this there is a sign for a people who reflect.

English Literal

Then eat from all the fruits, so enter/pass your Lord`s roads/paths manipulated/dangled low, from its bellies/insides emerges/appears a drink its colours (are) different, in it (is) a cure/healing for the people;184that in that (is) an evidence/sign (E) to a nation thinking.

Faridul Haque

"Then eat from all kinds of fruits, and tread the ways of your Lord which are soft and easy for you"; from their bellies comes a drink of various colours, in which is health for mankind; indeed in this is a sign for people who ponder.

Hamid S. Aziz

"Then eat from every fruit, and walk in the beaten paths of your Lord". There comes forth from her body a draught varying in hue, in which is a healing for mankind. Verily, herein are, indeed, signs unto a people who reflect.

Hilali & Khan

"Then, eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for you)." There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And thy Lord revealed to the bee: Make hives in the mountains and in the trees and in what they build,

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Then eat of all the fruits and walk in the ways of your Lord submissively. There comes forth from within it a beverage of many colours, in which there is healing for men; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Then eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of thy Lord, made smooth (for thee). There cometh forth from their bellies a drink divers of hues, wherein is healing for mankind. Lo! herein is indeed a portent for people who reflect.

Muhammad Sarwar

then eat of every fruit and follow the path of your Lord submissively." From out of their bellies comes a drink of different color in which there is a cure for the human being. In this there is evidence (of the truth) for the people of understanding.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Eat every kind of fruit, and follow the easy ways of your Lord' From its belly comes forth a drink (honey) of many hues in which there is healing for people. Surely, in this there is a sign for a nation who reflect.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

"Then, eat of all fruits, and follow the routes that your Lord made easy (for you)." There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colors, in which there is a cure for men. There is indeed a sign in that for people who reflect.

Wahiduddin Khan

Then feed on every kind of fruit, and follow the trodden paths of your Lord." From its belly comes a drink with different colours which provides healing for mankind. Indeed, in this there is a sign for people who give thought.

Talal Itani

Then eat of all the fruits, and go along the pathways of your Lord, with precision. From their bellies emerges a fluid of diverse colors, containing healing for the people. Surely in this is a sign for people who reflect.

Tafsir jalalayn

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 dhall, 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'sluk, `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] shif'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 [Bukhr and Muslim]. Surely in that there is a sign for a people who reflect, upon God's handiwork, exalted be He.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ

And your Lord inspired the bee, saying;"Take you habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they (humans) erect. Then, eat of all fruits,

What is meant by inspiration here is guidance.

The bee is guided to make its home in the mountains, in trees and in structures erected by man.

The bee's home is a solid structure, with its hexagonal shapes and interlocking forms there is no looseness in its combs. Then Allah decrees that the bee will have permission to eat from all fruits and to follow the ways which Allah has made easy for it, wherever it wants to go in the vast spaces of the wilderness, valleys and high mountains. Then each bee comes back to its hive without swerving to the right or left, it comes straight back to its home where its offspring and honey are. It makes wax from its wings, and regurgitates honey from its mouth, and lays eggs from its rear, then the next morning it goes out to the fields again.

فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلً

and follow the routes of your Lord made easy (for you),

Qatadah and Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said;

"This means, in an obedient way,"

understanding it to be a description of the route of migration.

Ibn Zayd said that this is like the Ayah;

وَذَلَّلْنَـهَا لَهُمْ فَمِنْهَا رَكُوبُهُمْ وَمِنْهَا يَأْكُلُونَ

And We have subdued them for them so that some they may ride and some they may eat. (36;72)

He said;

"Do you not see that they move the bees' home from one land to another, and the bees follow them!"

The first opinion is clearly the more likely, as it describes the routes that the bees follow, i.e., `follow these routes as they are easy for you.'

This was stated by Mujahid.

Ibn Jarir said that both opinions are correct.

يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ


There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men.

meaning, honey, that is white, yellow, red, or of other good colors, depending on the different things that the bees eat.

فِيهِ شِفَاء لِلنَّاسِ


in which there is a cure for men.

meaning there is a cure in honey for diseases that people suffer from.

Some of those who spoke about the study of Prophetic medicine said that;

if (Allah) had said, `in which there is the cure for men', then it would be the remedy for all diseases,

but He said, `in which there is a cure for men', meaning that it is the right treatment for every "cold" disease, because it is "hot", and a disease should be treated with its opposite.

Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded in their Sahihs from Qatadah from Abu Al-Mutawakkil Ali bin Dawud An-Naji from Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri that;

a man came to the Messenger of Allah and said, "My brother is suffering from diarrhea."

He said,
اسْقِهِ عَسَلً
(Give him honey to drink).

The man went and gave him honey, then he came back and said, "O Messenger of Allah! I gave him honey to drink, and he only got worse."

The Prophet said,

اذْهَبْ فَاسْقِهِ عَسَلً

Go and give him honey to drink.

So he went and gave him honey, then he came back and said, "O Messenger of Allah! it only made him worse."

The Prophet said,

صَدَقَ اللهُ وَكَذَبَ بَطْنُ أَخِيكَ اذْهَبْ فَاسْقِهِ عَسَلً

Allah speaks the truth and your brother's stomach is lying. Go and give him honey to drink.

So he went and gave him honey, and he recovered."

It is reported in the Two Sahihs from A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Messenger of Allah used to like sweet things and honey.

This is the wording of Al-Bukhari, who also reported in his Sahih from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah said;

الشِّفَاءُ فِي ثَلَثَةٍ

فِي شَرْطَةِ مِحْجَمٍ

أَوْ شَرْبَةِ عَسَلٍ

أَوْ كَيَّةٍ بِنَارٍ

وَأَنْهَى أُمَّتِي عَنِ الْكَي

Healing is to be found in three things;

the cut made by the cupper, or

drinking honey, or

in branding with fire (cauterizing),

but I have forbidden my Ummah to use branding.

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لايَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ



There is indeed a sign in that for people who reflect.

meaning in the fact that Allah inspires this weak little creature to travel through the vast fields and feed from every kind of fruit, then gather it for wax and honey, which are some of the best things, in this is a sign for people who think about the might and power of the bee's Creator Who causes all of this to happen.

From this they learn that He is the Initiator, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise, the All-Knowing, the Most Generous, the Most Merciful