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Surah 16 · Makkah · 128 āyāt

Phase 04 · Ṭāʾif, al-Isrāʾ and the final Makkan years(c. 5–1 BH) — view in timeline

An-NaḥlThe Bee

النحل

Called 'the surah of blessings' by some early scholars for its long catalogue of Allah's favours — cattle, rain, ships, mountains, the bee's inspired craft, and more — offered as evidence against idolatry. It moves from proofs of Allah's sole right to worship, through the account of the honeybee's revelation, to a direct address to the Prophet ﷺ on da'wah method: call to your Lord's way with wisdom and good instruction. It closes commanding justice, good conduct, and fulfilling covenants, and permitting only measured retaliation.

Why it was revealed

Revealed as Quraysh's polytheism persisted despite the abundance of signs surrounding them in creation, the surah methodically dismantles their claims by pointing to the very blessings they depended on daily — from milk and honey to ships and shade — and asking why gratitude was directed anywhere but to their Giver.

Drawn fromAl-Tirmidhī 3129; Al-Qurṭubī on 16:68–69; Ibn Kathīr on 16:10–16; Ibn Kathīr on 16:126

Ibn ʿAbbās reported that āyah 126, 'And if you punish [an enemy], then punish with the equivalent of that with which you were harmed,' was revealed after Uḥud, when the Prophet ﷺ saw the mutilation of his uncle Ḥamzah and some companions wished to retaliate in kind against the Quraysh dead; the Prophet ﷺ was commanded instead toward restraint, and Allah then revealed the following verse commanding patience as better still.

Cited toAl-Tirmidhī 3129; Ibn Kathīr on 16:126

In the Prophet's ﷺ life

ProvisionLate Makkan period · Age c. 51–52 · Makkah

Cataloguing Allah's favours against idolatry

The surah lists rain, crops, cattle, the sea, mountains, and the stars used for direction, presenting each as proof that worship belongs to the Giver of these favours alone.

Recalled in āyah 10, 14, 16

هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً ۖ لَّكُم مِّنْهُ شَرَابٌ وَمِنْهُ شَجَرٌ فِيهِ تُسِيمُونَ

It is He who sends down rain from the sky; from it is drink and from it is foliage in which you pasture [animals].

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ ٱلْبَحْرَ لِتَأْكُلُوا مِنْهُ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا وَتَسْتَخْرِجُوا مِنْهُ حِلْيَةً تَلْبَسُونَهَا

And it is He who subjected the sea for you to eat from it tender meat and to extract from it ornaments which you wear.

وَعَلَـٰمَـٰتٍ ۚ وَبِٱلنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ

And landmarks. And by the stars they are [also] guided.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 16:10–16

  • Madd — 2 vowels
  • Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
  • Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
  • Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
  • Ghunnah — 2 vowels
  • Qalqalah
  • Ikhfāʾ
  • Ikhfāʾ shafawī
  • Idghām shafawī
  • Idghām with ghunnah
  • Idghām without ghunnah
  • Idghām mutajānisayn
  • Idghām mutaqāribayn
  • Iqlāb
  • Hamzat al-waṣl
  • Lām shamsiyyah
  • Silent letter

Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).

THEME 01Āyāt 1–3

The command of Allah is coming, so do not hasten it

Allah's command is coming, exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him. He sends down the angels with revelation to whom He wills of His servants, instructing that there is no deity except Him, so fear Him. He created the heavens and earth in truth, high above what they associate.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 16:2; Ibn Kathīr on 16:1

1

أَتَىٰٓ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

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The command of Allah is coming, so be not impatient for it; exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him.

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3

خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ تَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

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He created the heavens and earth in truth. High is He above what they associate with Him.

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From the tafsīr

The opening's past-tense phrasing 'atā amru Allāh' (the command of Allah has come) despite referring to a future event — the establishment of the Hour or the fulfilment of a threat — is a rhetorical device signalling absolute certainty of its arrival.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 16:1

Revelation descending only upon whom Allah wills among His servants establishes that prophethood is a divine selection, not something attainable by human effort or claim.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 16:2

Key takeaways

Reflect

How does treating Allah's promised events as already certain change how you plan your life?

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Question 1 of 2

Why does Ibn Kathīr say the opening of 16:1 uses the past tense for a future event?

Question 2 of 2

What does al-Saʿdī draw from revelation descending only on whom Allah wills, per 16:2?

THEME 02Āyāt 5–18

A catalogue of favours: cattle, rain, the sea, mountains

Cattle provide warmth, benefits and food; rain brings forth crops, olives, palms, grapes; the sea is subjected for fresh meat and ornaments and ships cutting through it; mountains are set firm so the earth does not shake; and the stars are placed for people to be guided by at night. All of this is offered as a reflection: is He who creates like one who does not create?

Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī on 16:16; Ibn Kathīr on 16:10–11

10

هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً ۖ لَّكُم مِّنْهُ شَرَابٌ وَمِنْهُ شَجَرٌ فِيهِ تُسِيمُونَ

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It is He who sends down rain from the sky; from it is drink and from it is foliage in which you pasture [animals].

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11

يُنۢبِتُ لَكُم بِهِ ٱلزَّرْعَ وَٱلزَّيْتُونَ وَٱلنَّخِيلَ وَٱلْأَعْنَـٰبَ وَمِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ

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He causes to grow for you thereby the crops, olives, palm trees, grapevines, and from all the fruits.

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14

وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ ٱلْبَحْرَ لِتَأْكُلُوا مِنْهُ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا وَتَسْتَخْرِجُوا مِنْهُ حِلْيَةً تَلْبَسُونَهَا

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And it is He who subjected the sea for you to eat from it tender meat and to extract from it ornaments which you wear.

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16

وَعَلَـٰمَـٰتٍ ۚ وَبِٱلنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ

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And landmarks. And by the stars they are [also] guided.

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From the tafsīr

The sequence moving from rain to crops to olives, palms and grapes is read as building an argument by accumulation, each favour reinforcing the case for gratitude toward the One who provides them all.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 16:10–11

'And landmarks, and by the stars they are guided' is understood as referring to both physical landmarks for travel by day and celestial guidance by night, showing Allah's provision for practical human need in every condition.

Cited toAl-Ṭabarī on 16:16

Key takeaways

Reflect

Pick one blessing you use daily without thinking — rain, transport, direction — and trace it back to its Giver.

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0 / 2 correct

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Question 1 of 2

What rhetorical technique does Ibn Kathīr identify in the sequence of favours in 16:10–11?

Question 2 of 2

According to al-Ṭabarī, what does 16:16 refer to regarding guidance?

THEME 03Āyāt 57–59

Ascribing to Allah what they themselves dislike

They assign daughters to Allah — exalted is He above that — while for themselves they wish what they desire. When one of them is given news of a female child, his face becomes dark and he suppresses grief, hiding from people out of the shame of what he has been told, debating whether to keep her in disgrace or bury her in the ground.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 16:59; Ibn Kathīr on 16:57–59

57

وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ ٱلْبَنَـٰتِ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ ۙ وَلَهُم مَّا يَشْتَهُونَ

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And they attribute to Allah daughters — exalted is He — and for themselves what they desire.

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58

وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُم بِٱلْأُنثَىٰ ظَلَّ وَجْهُهُۥ مُسْوَدًّا وَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ

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And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief.

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From the tafsīr

The passage exposes the contradiction of pagan Arabs who claimed angels as Allah's 'daughters' while treating the birth of their own daughters as a source of shame, sometimes leading to the pre-Islamic practice of female infanticide (wa'd al-banāt).

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 16:57–59

This is presented as one of the starkest proofs of the irrationality of their theology: they attribute to Allah what they themselves would never accept, exposing that their claims about Allah were driven by custom, not reason.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 16:59

Key takeaways

Reflect

Where might your own assumptions about what is 'beneath' Allah actually reveal a flawed standard, not His?

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0 / 2 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

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Question 1 of 2

What contradiction does Ibn Kathīr highlight in 16:57–59?

Question 2 of 2

What does al-Saʿdī say this passage proves about their theology?

THEME 04Āyāt 68–69

The bee: inspiration, craft, and healing

Your Lord inspired the bee: take for yourself homes in the mountains, trees, and structures which they build; then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord made easy for you. From their bellies comes a drink of varying colours in which there is healing for people.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 16:68; Ibn Kathīr on 16:69

68

وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى ٱلنَّحْلِ أَنِ ٱتَّخِذِى مِنَ ٱلْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ ٱلشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ

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And your Lord inspired to the bee, 'Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct.'

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69

يَخْرُجُ مِنۢ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَٰنُهُۥ فِيهِ شِفَآءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ

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There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people.

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From the tafsīr

The word waḥy (inspiration) used for the bee is of a different kind than prophetic revelation, referring instead to an instinctive, Allah-given guidance implanted in the creature, showing waḥy's broader linguistic usage in the Qur'an.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 16:68

'In which there is healing for people' does not claim honey cures every illness alone, but affirms it as a genuine means of healing among the causes Allah has placed in creation, consistent with the Prophet's ﷺ own use of honey as treatment.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 16:69

Key takeaways

Reflect

What small, easily overlooked creature or process in your daily life actually reflects immense design?

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Question 1 of 2

How does al-Qurṭubī explain the word 'waḥy' as used for the bee in 16:68?

Question 2 of 2

What does Ibn Kathīr clarify about 'healing for people' regarding honey in 16:69?

THEME 05Āyāt 90–91

Justice, good conduct, and fulfilling covenants

Allah commands justice, excellence [in conduct], and giving to relatives, and forbids immorality, bad conduct and oppression. He instructs, and fulfil the covenant of Allah when you have taken it, and do not break oaths after their confirmation when you have made Allah a witness over you.

Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 16:91; Ibn Kathīr on 16:90

90

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْعَدْلِ وَٱلْإِحْسَـٰنِ وَإِيتَآئِ ذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱلْبَغْىِ

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Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression.

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91

وَأَوْفُوا بِعَهْدِ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا عَـٰهَدتُّمْ وَلَا تَنقُضُوا۟ ٱلْأَيْمَـٰنَ بَعْدَ تَوْكِيدِهَا

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And fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have taken it, and do not break oaths after their confirmation.

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From the tafsīr

This āyah is described by early scholars, including some companions, as the most comprehensive verse in the Qur'an for good conduct, containing every command toward good and every prohibition against evil in summary form.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 16:90

The command to fulfil covenants after making Allah a witness applies to oaths, treaties, and contracts alike, and breaking them is treated with particular severity because Allah's name was specifically invoked in the commitment.

Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 16:91

Key takeaways

Reflect

Which of the three commands — justice, excellence, or generosity to relatives — do you most need to work on right now?

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Question 1 of 2

Why does al-Qurṭubī note breaking covenants is especially serious per 16:91?

Question 2 of 2

How did early scholars describe 16:90 according to Ibn Kathīr?

THEME 06Āyāt 125

Call to your Lord's way with wisdom and good instruction

Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in the manner that is best. Indeed your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.

Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 16:125; Ibn Kathīr on 16:125

125

ٱدْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلْحِكْمَةِ وَٱلْمَوْعِظَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةِ ۖ وَجَـٰدِلْهُم بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.

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From the tafsīr

The verse outlines three distinct methods matched to three types of audiences: wisdom (ḥikmah) for the receptive, good instruction (mawʿiẓah ḥasanah) for the general public, and the best form of debate (jidāl bi-llatī hiya aḥsan) for the resistant or argumentative.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 16:125

The closing of the verse, that Allah alone knows who is guided or astray, releases the caller of da'wah from the burden of guaranteeing results — his responsibility is the manner and sincerity of the call, not forcing acceptance.

Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 16:125

Key takeaways

Reflect

In your last disagreement about faith with someone, did you lead with wisdom or with wanting to win?

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Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

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Question 1 of 2

What does al-Saʿdī say the closing of 16:125 releases the caller from?

Question 2 of 2

What three methods does Ibn Kathīr identify in 16:125 matched to different audiences?

THEME 07Āyāt 126–128

Measured retaliation, and patience is better

If you punish, then punish with the equivalent of that with which you were harmed; but if you are patient, it is better for those who are patient. Be patient, and your patience is only through Allah. Do not grieve over them, nor be in distress from what they plot. Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of good.

Drawn fromAl-Tirmidhī 3129 (occasion of revelation); Ibn Kathīr on 16:127–128

126

وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُم بِهِۦ ۖ وَلَئِن صَبَرْتُمْ لَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لِّلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

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And if you punish [an enemy], punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed. But if you are patient, it is better for those who are patient.

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128

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوا۟ وَّٱلَّذِينَ هُم مُّحْسِنُونَ

Tajwīd markup unavailable for this āyah — text shown uncoloured

Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of good.

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From the tafsīr

Revealed after Uḥud when the Prophet ﷺ saw the mutilation of Ḥamzah and some companions wished to mutilate the Quraysh dead in return; this verse permitted only equivalent retaliation, and the next verse then commended patience as superior even to that right.

Cited toAl-Tirmidhī 3129 (occasion of revelation)

'Your patience is only through Allah' teaches that the capacity to remain patient is itself a divine enabling, not a purely personal virtue achieved independently, so the Prophet ﷺ is instructed to seek that capacity from Allah.

Cited toIbn Kathīr on 16:127–128

Key takeaways

Reflect

Where do you currently have a 'right' to respond in kind that patience might actually serve you better than exercising?

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Check yourself

0 / 2 correct

Answer from memory before scrolling back — retrieval is what makes it stick.

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Question 1 of 2

What does Ibn Kathīr say the phrase 'your patience is only through Allah' (16:127) teaches?

Question 2 of 2

What was the occasion for revealing 16:126 according to the report in al-Tirmidhī?

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VOCABULARY

Roots from this surah

Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.

ن ز ل

āyāt 10

to descend, send down

  • أَنزَلَHe sent down
  • تَنزِيلrevelation

س خ ر

āyāt 14

to subject, subjugate for use

  • سَخَّرَHe subjected
  • تَسْخِيرsubjugation

ه د ي

āyāt 16

to guide

  • يَهْتَدُونَthey are guided
  • هُدَىguidance

ح ص ي

āyāt 18

to count, enumerate

  • لَا تُحْصُوهَآyou could not enumerate them

و ح ي

āyāt 68

to inspire, reveal

  • أَوْحَىٰHe inspired
  • وَحْيrevelation/inspiration

ش ف ي

āyāt 69

to heal, cure

  • شِفَآءٌhealing
  • شَافِيHealer

ع د ل

āyāt 90

justice, fairness

  • ٱلْعَدْلِjustice
  • عَادِلjust one

و ف ي

āyāt 91

to fulfil, be true to

  • وَأَوْفُواfulfil
  • وَفَاءfaithfulness

ح ك م

āyāt 125

wisdom, judgement

  • بِٱلْحِكْمَةِwith wisdom
  • حَكِيمWise

م ث ل

āyāt 126

likeness, equivalence, parable

  • بِمِثْلِwith the equivalent
  • مَثَلparable

ح س ن

āyāt 128

good, excellent

  • مُّحْسِنُونَdoers of good
  • إِحْسَانexcellence

ب ن ي

āyāt 57

daughter/son; to build

  • ٱلْبَنَـٰتِthe daughters
  • بِنَاءbuilding

Carry this with you

  • The Qur'an builds its case for tawḥīd through accumulated, everyday evidence: rain, cattle, ships, mountains, the bee.
  • The bee's inspired craft and honey's healing property are cited as signs of precise divine design.
  • Pagan Arabs' claim of 'daughters' for Allah while shaming their own daughters exposed the incoherence of their theology.
  • 16:90 was regarded by early scholars as the most comprehensive verse for good conduct in the Qur'an.
  • Da'wah is to be tailored to its audience: wisdom, good instruction, or the best manner of debate — with results left to Allah.
  • Retaliation is bounded by strict equivalence, and patience is affirmed as the superior path even when retaliation is permitted.

Where this surah connects

Cross-surah threads

Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.

The signs you already walk on4 movementsOne Lord, one dominion2 movementsThe four trials2 movementsPatience while the answer is delayed2 movementsRefuge, protection and the unseen harm1 movement
All threads →

Sources behind Sūrah An-Naḥl

Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.

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An-Naḥl · Justice, good conduct, and fulfilling covenants

Why does al-Qurṭubī note breaking covenants is especially serious per 16:91?

Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol