An-Nahl (The Bee)
Verse 1
Table of Contents
No. 16 (Revealed in Mecca)
128 verses in 16 sections
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful
The sixteenth Surah of the Glorious Qur’an which contains 128 verses is called ‘Nahl’ ‘Bees’ owing to allusions made in it to the creation of bees.
Notwithstanding the Qur’an is a Book of Divine legislation, but many of its Suras are named based on creation, such as An-Najm (star), ‘Ash-Shams’ (the sun), ‘Al-Fil’ (the elephant), ‘Al-‘Ankabūt’ (spider), and ‘An-Nahl’ (the bee).
These names are clues as to the fact that all the creatures whether in the sky or on the earth, whether small or great, they are all equal to Him due to His Power, and the Book of legislation is based on the Book of nature, both of which have their sources in one origin.
One of the names of this Surah is ‘the Surah of the Blessings’ for there are the names of over 50 blessings mentioned in it.
The issues dealt with in this Surah are: the Divine blessings, reasons for monotheism and resurrection, ordinances concerning the Holy war, the threats against the pagans, the dissuasions of injustice, indecency, breaking of one’s promises, innovations, and satanical temptations.
Incidentally, most of the commentators are of the opinion that it is understood from the occasions of the revelation of the verses of this Surah that the first forty verses of it have been revealed at the end of the Meccan era, while the remaining eighty eight were revealed during the early period of the migration to Medina. Therefore, this holy Surah is both Meccan as well as Medinite.
The Virtues of Reading This Surah
In some quotations narrated from the Prophet (S), it has been confirmed that he said:
“He who recites this Surah, Allah will not hold him accountable for the blessings which He has bestowed on him in this world.”
All means will be made available to him to go to Paradise.1
Certainly, that kind of reading is meant hereby that is coupled with meditation and decision which leads one to practice and taking steps on the path of gratitude.
Note
Section 1: The Existence of Allah Proved by Nature
Surah An-Nahl - Verse 1
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ أَتی أَمْرُ اللَّهِ فَلا تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ سُبْحانَهُ وَ تَعالی عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ (1)
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
1. “Allah’s commandment has come, hence do not seek to hasten it. Glory be to Him and Exalted is He above every thing with which they associate Him.”
A considerable part of the commencing verses of this Surah have been revealed in Mecca, during which time the Prophet (S) was intensively entangled with the pagans and idol-worshippers who used various pretexts every day for the liberating and life-saving call of Islam.
Among such pretexts one might name the Divine chastisement, which, whenever the Prophet (S) warned them against, some obstinate folks would declare.
“Why would such a chastisement which you claim, if truly said, do not come to be inflicted on us?”
They might sometimes add that if supposedly there was such a case impending, they should take recourse to their idols to serve as mediators with Allah (s.w.t.) to be rescued from punishment.
The first verse of this Surah drew an obliterating line over such imaginary claims by implying that they should stop making haste in that connection for Allah’s commandment had definitely been issued already.
It says:
“Allah’s commandment has come, hence do not seek to hasten it…”
If you think that the idols will be involved as mediators with Him, you are seriously mistaken, as Allah is far more intact and superior to being attached with associates.
The verse continues saying:
“…Glory be to Him and Exalted is He above every thing with which they associate Him.”
Explanation
Notwithstanding the case in question in this verse is the pagans’ impatience in their receiving of the Divine punishment, but the beginning sentence of the verse is not confined to the Divine punishment.
Rather, it includes all the Divine commandments such as that relating to waging of the Holy war, the commandment concerning the reappearance of the contemporary Imam (a.j.), the Return of the Immaculate Imams (as), and the commandment for the stepping up and staging of the resurrection day about which one must not make haste.
Footnotes
Tafsir-i-Burhan ↩