Surah 16

al-Nahl

(The Bee)

(Makkan Period)

Title

The title of this surah is derived from the word 'bee' which occurs in verse 68: 'Your Lord inspired the bee...' Like other surahs, the title merely distinguishes one surah from another. It bears no reference to its contents.

Period of Revelation

There are several pieces of internal evidence which suggest the period of the surah's revelation. For instance, verse 41 reads: "Those who have forsaken their homes for the sake of Allah after enduring persecution...' This verse clearly indicates that the surah was revealed after the migration to Abyssinia.

Likewise, verse 106 makes a reference to 'anyone who disbelieves in Allah after having had faith...' This is also significant as it indicates that the believers have been under a state of persecution for a long time. As a result, the following question arose among their ranks: 'How should one judge those who were coerced, under the pressure of unendurable persecution, into disbelieving?'

Verses 112-14 of the surah read: 'Allah sets forth the parable of [the people of] a town who were secure and content and whose sustenance came in abundance from every quarter. But then the people of the town showed ingratitude towards Allah for His bounties, so Allah afflicted them with hunger and fear in punishment for their evil deeds. Most certainly a Messenger came to them from among them; but they rejected him, calling him a liar. Therefore, chastisement seized them while they engaged in wrongdoing. So eat out of the lawful and good sustenance that Allah has bestowed upon you, and thank Allah for His bounty, if it is Him that you serve.' These verses indicate that the great famine of Makka which began after the designation of Muḥammad (peace be on him) as the Messenger of God had ended before the surah was revealed.

There is also an allusion to verse 115 of this surah in verse 119 of al-An'ām. Similarly, there is allusion to verse 118 of this surah in verse 146 of al-An'am. Thus it appears that both sūrahs - al-Naḥl and al-An'am - were revealed around the same time.

In light of the above pieces of internal evidence it may be deduced that this surah was revealed in the last phase of the period of the Prophet's life in Makka. The surah's contents also corroborate this point.

Major Themes

The surah is mainly concerned with the following purposes: to refute polytheism, to affirm God's unity, to warn people of the dire consequences of rejecting the call of the Prophets, and to reproach those who seek to oppose the truth.

Subject-Matter

The surah opens, without any preliminary remarks, and instead with a severe warning. The Makkan unbelievers asked the Prophet (peace be on him) why they had not been seized by God's scourge of which they had been warned earlier. They expressed curiosity as to why no scourge had struck them even though they had rejected the Prophet (peace be on him), had called him a liar, and were openly opposed to him. They made this statement thinking that it was a persuasive proof of the falsity of Muḥammad's claim to be a Prophet. In response, the unbelievers were told that God's scourge was about to be let loose upon them. It was, therefore, foolish of them to constantly clamour for God's scourge to seize them. They should rather make good use of the time they still had to grasp the message and mend their ways accordingly.

This warning is followed by a discourse aimed at driving home to people the basic message of Islam. The following subjects are discussed one after the other:

The truth of monotheism and the falsity of polytheism are driven home to people with the help of persuasive arguments and by drawing attention to a myriad of signs in the universe as well as in man's own being.
The objections, doubts, pseudo-arguments and pretexts of the unbelievers are taken up, one by one, and repudiated.
The unbelievers are warned of the dreadful consequences of their persistence in falsehood and their arrogant rejection of the truth.
A blueprint of the reform that the Prophet's message seeks to bring about in human life - at both a moral and practical level - is outlined in succinct and convincing terms. The polytheists, who claim to believe in God, are informed of the requisites of such a belief. Belief in God does not consist merely of verbally assenting to a set of metaphysical propositions; rather, it makes a number of demands which should be evident from a man's beliefs, his morals, and his practical life.
The Prophet (peace be on him) and his Companions are being consoled and encouraged. They are also being told how they should face the campaign of opposition and persecution launched by the unbelievers.