Lessons from Honeybees

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

Honeybees choose a new home by due consultation, and a process of consensus building that's quick and effective by God's design. How effective? They end up making the right choice some 90-95% of the time according to Professor Thomas Seeley.

The process honey bees use to choose their home reminds us of a variety of Quranic principles that God recommends for us in our lives and our decision-making. In Chapter 42 of the Quran (title: Consultation, or Al-Shoora in Arabic), God encourages the believers to decide their affairs by due consultation (Quran 42:38).

For this democratic process to work, we need to uphold the truth and be absolutely equitable when bearing witness (Quran 2:177, 5:8). Another helpful trait, is that scout bees (who are usually elder and more experienced) do not blindly follow what another honey bee is saying—they verify the information for themselves (Quran 17:36). Finally, we see that the bees are not fanatical or egotistical about their viewpoints. Once they have presented the hive and how good they think it is, they are open-minded and willing to accept other viewpoints and be part of forming a consensus with the rest of the hive, even if it is not the opinion they originally presented.

All of these fall into traits God recommends for humans, and important for a successful democracy:

• truthfulness (3:17)
• killing one’s ego (2:54)
• not insisting on our ways despite the proofs (98:1)
• seeking the truth rather than being wedded to one’s personal opinion (38:26)
• regarding one’s associates (4:36)

To conclude with a few verses from Quran on bees and consultation.

The Bee

[Quran 16:68-69] And your Lord inspired the bee: build homes in mountains and trees, and in (the hives) they build for you. Then eat from all the fruits, following the design of your Lord, precisely. From their bellies comes a drink of different colors, wherein there is healing for the people. This should be (sufficient) proof for people who reflect.*
*16:69 Besides its recognized nutritive value, honey has been scientifically proven as a healing medicine for certain allergies and other ailments.
   
[Quran 42:38] They respond to their Lord by observing the Contact Prayers (Salat). Their affairs are decided after due consultation among themselves, and from our provisions to them they give (to charity).

 

Related Articles

• God's Design of the Bee
• Characteristics of a successful human Society

Peace.

New discoveries on fungi–praise God for His infinite variety

 

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

God's design of the heavens and the earth, and the huge number and varieties of species He placed on this planet are signs for people (Quran 16:8-13, 41:53). Shouldn’t natural selection have gotten rid of many of these species? Some are fragile and barely have a reason for hanging around, and others of course man took care of in his indiscriminate selfishness and lack of care of the planetary resources. But God Creates, and God chooses.

In further proof of how little we know, an entirely new branch of fungi (which may double the known kingdom) was recently discovered by British biologists. Praise be to God. How many more such creatures are out there? And how much more do we have yet to learn and discover by God’s leave?

[Quran 16:8] ... Additionally, He creates what you do not know.

Knowing God

[Quran 10:61] ... Not even an atom's weight is out of your Lord's control, be it in the heavens or the earth. Nor is there anything smaller than an atom, or larger, that is not recorded in a profound record.

[Quran 55:10] He created the earth for all creatures.

Article on Masjid Tucson about God's infinite Variety ( http://www.masjidtucson.org/publications/books/SP/1999/jan/page1.html )

On a related note, Submission-World is a website on God’s creations, the beauty and signs around us.

Peace.