Surah The Bee [An-Nahl] in English

The command of Allah is arriving soon, therefore do not seek to hasten it; Purity and Supremacy are to Him, above all the partners (they ascribe).

He sends down the angels with the soul of faith – the divine revelations – towards those among His bondmen He wills that, “There is no worship except for Me, therefore fear Me.”

He created the heavens and the earth with the truth; Supreme is He above their ascribing of partners (to Him).

He created man from a drop of fluid, yet he is an open quarreller!

And He created cattle; in them are warm clothing and uses for you, and you eat from them.

And in them is your elegance, when you bring them home at evening, and when you leave them to graze.

And they transport your loads to a town where you could not reach except utterly exhausted; indeed your Lord is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.

And horses, and mules, and donkeys so that you may ride them, and for adornment; and He will create what you do not know*. (* All modern means of transport – by air, sea, land and even in space – evidence this.)

And the middle path rightly leads to Allah – any other path is wayward; and had He willed He would have brought all of you upon guidance.

It is He Who sent down water from the sky – you drink from it, and from it are trees you use as pasture.

With this water He produces for you crops, and olives, and dates, and grapes, and all kinds of fruit; indeed in this is a sign for people who ponder.

And He subjected the night and the day for you – and the sun and the moon; and the stars are subjected to His command; indeed in this are signs for people of intellect.

And the things He has created for you in the earth, of numerous colours; indeed in this is a sign for people who remember.

And it is He Who subjected the sea for you, so you eat fresh meat from it, and extract ornaments from it which you wear; and you see ships ploughing through it and in order that you may seek His munificence and that you may give thanks.

And He placed mountains as anchors in the earth so that it may not shake along with you, and streams and roads for you to find course.

And landmarks; and they are guided by the star.

So will He Who creates ever be like one who does not create? So do you not heed advice?

And if you enumerate the favours of Allah, you will never be able to count them; indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

And Allah knows what you conceal and what you disclose.

And those whom they worship other than Allah, do not create anything but are themselves created.

They are dead, not alive; and they do not know when will the people be raised.

Your God is One God; so those who do not believe in the Hereafter – their hearts deny and they are proud.

Certainly Allah knows what they hide and what they disclose; indeed He does not like the proud.

And when it is said to them, “What has your Lord sent down?”, they say, “The tales of former people.”

In order to bear their full burdens on the Day of Resurrection, and some burdens of those whom they mislead with their ignorance; pay heed! What an evil burden they bear!

Indeed those before them had plotted, so Allah seized the foundations of their building, therefore the roof fell down upon them from a height, and the punishment came upon them from a place they did not know.

Then on the Day of Resurrection He will disgrace them and proclaim, “Where are My partners, concerning whom you disputed”; the people of knowledge will say, “All disgrace and evil is upon the disbelievers this day.”

Those whose souls the angels remove whilst they were wronging themselves; so now they will plead “We never used to do any wrong”; \"Yes you did, why not? Indeed Allah well knows what you used to do.\"

“So now enter the gates of hell, remaining in it for ever”; so what an evil destination for the arrogant!

And it was said to the pious, “What has your Lord sent down?” They said, “Goodness”; for those who did good in this world is goodness, and the final home is the best; and indeed what an excellent final home for the pious.

Everlasting Gardens of Eden which they will enter, beneath which rivers flow – in it they will get whatever they wish; this is how Allah rewards the pious.

Those whose souls the angels remove in a state of purity, saying, “Peace be upon you – enter Paradise, the reward of your deeds.”

So what are they waiting for, except that the angels come upon them or that your Lord’s punishment comes? Those before them did exactly this; and Allah did not oppress them at all, but it is they who used to wrong themselves.

So the evils of their deeds struck them, and what they used to mock at surrounded them.

And the polytheists said, “Had Allah willed, we would not have worshipped anything besides Him – neither we nor our forefathers – and nor would we have forbidden anything, whilst being disassociated with Him”; those before them did exactly this; so what is (incumbent) upon the Noble Messengers, except to plainly convey (the message)?

And indeed We sent to every nation a Noble Messenger (proclaiming) that “Worship Allah and beware of the devil”; therefore Allah guided some of them, and error proved true upon some of them; therefore travel in the land and see what sort of fate befell the deniers!

If you (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) desire for their guidance, then indeed Allah does not guide one whom He misleads, and they do not have any aides.

And they swore by Allah most vehemently in their oaths that, “Allah will not raise up the dead”; yes He will, why not? A true promise obligatory upon Him, but most men do not know.

In order that He may make clear to them the matter in which they differed, and the disbelievers may realise that they were liars.

And Our command for anything to occur, when We will it, is that We only say to it, “Be” – and it thereupon happens.

And to those who migrated in Allah's cause after being oppressed, We shall indeed give them a good place in the world, and indeed the reward of the Hereafter is extremely great; if only the people knew!

Those who patiently endured and who rely only upon Allah.

And We did not send before you except men, towards whom We sent divine revelations – so O people, ask the people of knowledge if you do not know. (* All the Prophets were men.)

Along with clear proofs and writings; and We have sent down this Remembrance towards you (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) so that you may explain to mankind what has been revealed towards them, and that they may ponder.

So do they who conspire evils, not fear that Allah may bury them in the earth, or that the punishment may come to them from a place they do not know?

Or that He may seize them while they move here and there, for they cannot escape?

Or that He may seize them whilst constantly ruining them? For indeed your Lord is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.

And have they not observed that the shadows of the things Allah has created incline to the right and to the left, in prostration to Allah, and that they are servile?

And to Allah only prostrates whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever moves in the earth, and the angels – and they are not proud.

They bear upon themselves the fear of their Lord, and do only what they are commanded.

And Allah has proclaimed, “Do not ascribe two Gods; indeed He is the only One God; therefore fear Me alone.”

And to Him only belongs all whatever is in the heavens and in the earth, and obeying Him only is obligatory; so will you fear anyone other than Allah?

And whatever blessings you have, are all from Allah – then whenever misfortune reaches you, towards Him only do you seek refuge.

And then, when He averts the misfortune from you, a group among you starts ascribing partners to their Lord!

In order to deny the favours We have given them; so enjoy a little; for you will soon come to know.

And for things unknown, they assign a portion of the sustenance We have given them; by Allah – you will certainly be questioned regarding all that you used to fabricate.

And they assign daughters to Allah – Purity is to Him! – and assign for themselves what they wish.

And when one among of them receives the glad tidings of a daughter, his face turns black for the day, and he remains seething.

Hiding from the people because of the evil of the tidings; “Will he keep her with disgrace, or bury her beneath the earth?”; pay heed! Very evil is the judgement they impose!

Those who do not believe in the Hereafter, for them only is the evil state; and the Majesty of Allah is Supreme; and He only is the Most Honourable, the Wise.

Were Allah to seize people on account of their injustices, He would not have left anyone walking on the earth, but He gives them respite up to an appointed promise; then when their promise comes they cannot go back one moment nor come forward.

And they assign to Allah that which is abhorred by themselves, and their tongues speak the lies that goodness is for them; so it occurred that for them is the fire, and they have crossed the limits.

By Allah, We indeed sent Noble Messengers to several nations before you, but Satan made their misdeeds appear good to them – so he only is their companion this day, and for them is a punishment, most painful.

And We did not send down this Book towards you except for you to clearly explain to them the matters in which they may differ, and a guidance and a mercy for the believers.

And Allah sent down water from the sky and with it revived the earth after its death; indeed in this is a sign for people who keep ears*. (* That listen to the truth.)

And indeed in cattle is a lesson for you; We provide you drink from what is in their bellies – pure milk from between the excretion and the blood, palatable for the drinkers.

And from the fruits of date and grapes, for you make juices and good nourishment from them; indeed in this is a sign for people of intellect.

And your Lord inspired the bee that, “Build homes in hills, and in trees, and in rooftops.”

“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.

And Allah created you, and will then remove your souls; and among you is one who is sent back to the most lowly age, so knowing nothing after having had knowledge; indeed Allah knows everything, is Able to do all things.

And Allah has made some among you superior above others in livelihood; so those to whom the superiority is given, will not return their livelihood to their slaves, so they may all become equal in this respect; so do they deny the favours of Allah?

And Allah has created for you wives of your own breed, and has given you from your wives, sons and grandsons, and has provided sustenance for you from good things; so do they believe in falsehood and deny the favours of Allah?

And they worship such besides Allah, who do not have power to provide them any sustenance from the heavens or the earth, nor can they do anything.

Therefore do not ascribe equals to Allah; indeed Allah knows whereas you do not know.

Allah has illustrated an example – there is a slave, himself the property of another, not owning anything – and another one upon whom We have bestowed a good livelihood from Us, he therefore spends from it, secretly and publicly; will they be equal? All praise is to Allah; in fact, most of them do not know.

And Allah has illustrated an example – two men – one of them dumb, unable to do anything, and he is a burden on his master – wherever his master sends him, he brings back no good; will he be equal to one who gives the command of justice and is on the Straight Path?

And for Allah only are the hidden things of the heavens and the earth, and the matter of Resurrection is not but like the batting of an eyelid – in fact closer than this; indeed Allah is Able to do all things.

And Allah brought you forth from your mothers’ wombs, whilst you did not know anything* – and gave you ears and eyes and hearts, for you to be grateful. (* Prophet Mohammed and Prophet Jesus, among others, are exceptions to this rule – peace and blessings be upon them.)

Have they not seen the birds, subservient in the open skies? No one holds them up except Allah; indeed in this are signs for the people who believe.

And Allah has given you houses for staying, and made some houses from the hides of animals, which are easy for you on your day of travel and on the day of stopover – and from their wool, and fur, and hair, some household items and utilities for a while.

And Allah has provided you shade with the things He has created, and created for you refuge in the hills, and created some clothing for you to protect you from the heat, and some clothing to protect you during conflict; this is how He completes His favour upon you, so that you may obey.

Then if they turn away, O dear Prophet, (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) upon you is nothing but to clearly convey (the message).

They recognise the favour* of Allah and then deny it, and most of them are disbelievers. (* Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him) and / or all the favours of Allah.)

And the day when We will raise up a witness from every nation – then there will be no leave for the disbelievers, nor will they be appeased.

And when the unjust will see the punishment, from that time on it will not be lightened for them, nor will they get respite.

And when the polytheists will see their ascribed partners, they will say, “Our Lord! These are our partners whom we used to worship besides You”; so they will strike back at them with the saying, “You are indeed liars!”

And on that day they will fall humbly before Allah, and they will lose all that they used to fabricate.

Those who disbelieved and prevented from the way of Allah – We added punishment upon the punishment – the recompense of their mischief.

And the day when We will raise from every group, a witness from among them, in order to testify against them and will bring you O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) as a witness upon them all; and We have sent down this Qur’an upon you which is a clear explanation of all things, and a guidance and a mercy and glad tidings to the Muslims.

Indeed Allah decrees the commands of justice and kindness, and of giving to relatives, and forbids from the shameful and evil and rebellion; He advises you so that you may pay heed.

And fulfil the covenant of Allah when you have made the promise, and do not break your oaths after ratifying them, and you have made Allah a Guarantor over you; indeed Allah knows your deeds.

And do not be like the woman broke her thread into bits after she had manufactured it; you make your oaths a phoney excuse between yourselves lest one nation may not be more than the other; Allah just tries you with it; and He will surely clarify for you on the Day of Resurrection, the matters in which you differed.

Had Allah willed He would have made you all one nation, but He sends astray whomever He wills and guides whomever He wills; and you will certainly be questioned regarding your deeds.

And do not make your oaths phoney excuses between yourselves, so that a foot may not slip after being steadfast and you may taste evil because you were preventing from Allah’s way; and lest you be severely punished.

And do not exchange the covenant of Allah to procure an abject price; that which is with Allah is better for you, if you know.

What you have will perish, and that which is with Allah will remain forever; and indeed We shall pay the patiently enduring a recompense which befits the best of their deeds.

Whoever does good deeds – whether a male or female – and is a Muslim, We shall sustain him an excellent life, and shall certainly pay them a recompense which befits the best of their deeds.

And when you recite the Qur’an, seek the refuge of Allah from Satan the outcast.

Indeed he has no power over the believers and who rely only upon their Lord.

Satan’s power is only over those who make friendship with him and ascribe him as a partner (in worship).

And when We replace a verse* by another – and Allah well knows what He sends down – the disbelievers say, “You are just fabricating”; in fact most of them do not know. (* The command of one verse by another.)

Proclaim, “The Holy Spirit* has rightly brought it down from your Lord, to make the believers steadfast, and a guidance and glad tidings for the Muslims.” (* Angel Jibreel – peace and blessings be upon him.)

And indeed We know that they say, “This Qur’an is being taught by some other man”; the one they refer to speaks a foreign language, whereas this is clear Arabic!

Those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah – Allah does not guide them, and for them is a punishment, most painful.

Only those who do not believe in Allah’s signs attribute lies and fabrications; and they themselves are liars.

The one who disbelieves in Allah after accepting faith – except him who is forced to and whose heart is still firmly upon faith – but whoever is wholeheartedly a disbeliever, upon them is the wrath of Allah; and for them is a great punishment.

This is because the worldly life was dearer to them than the Hereafter; and because Allah does not guide such disbelieving people.

These are the ones whose hearts, ears, and eyes Allah has sealed; and they are the neglectful.

So it occurred that they are the losers in the Hereafter.

Then indeed your Lord – for those who migrated after they had been oppressed, and then fought and remained patient – indeed your Lord is then, surely, Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

The day when every soul will come quarrelling against itself, and every soul will be fully repaid for what it did, and they will not be wronged.

And Allah has illustrated an example of a township – which dwelt in peace and security, its provisions coming in abundance from every side – in response the township started being ungrateful of Allah’s favours, therefore Allah made it taste the punishment by covering it with a cloak of starvation and fear, on account of their deeds.

And indeed a Noble Messenger came to them from among them – in response they denied him, and therefore the punishment seized them, and they were unjust.

Therefore eat the lawful and good sustenance Allah has provided you, and be grateful for the blessings of your Lord, if you worship Him.

Only these are forbidden for you – the carrion, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that which has been slaughtered while proclaiming the name of any other besides Allah; so one who is compelled and does not eat out of desire, nor more than what is necessary, then indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

And do not say – the lie which your tongues speak – “This is lawful, and this is forbidden” in order to fabricate a lie against Allah; indeed those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper.

A little enjoyment – and for them is a punishment, most painful.

And especially for the Jews We forbade which We related to you earlier; and We did not oppress them, but it is they who wronged themselves.

Then indeed your Lord – for those who unwittingly commit evil and then repent and reform themselves – indeed your Lord is then, surely, Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Indeed Ibrahim was a leader, obedient to Allah, and detached from all; and he was not a polytheist.

Grateful for His blessings; Allah chose him and guided him to the Straight Path.

And We gave him goodness in this world; and indeed in the Hereafter he is worthy of proximity.

And then We sent you (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) the divine revelation that, “Follow the religion of Ibrahim, who was free from all falsehood; and was not a polytheist.”

The Sabbath was made obligatory only upon those who differed in it; and indeed your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning the matter in which they differed.

Call towards the path of your Lord with sound planning and good advice, and debate with them in the best possible way; indeed your Lord well knows him who has strayed from His path, and He well knows the guided.

And if you mete out punishment, then punish similarly as you were afflicted; and if you patiently endure, then indeed patience is better for the patiently enduring.

And O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) patiently endure – and your patience is only due to the guidance of Allah – and do not grieve for them, and do not be disheartened by their deceits.