Author: Dr. Noor Mohammad Mohibi
The Quran: A Miracle Beyond Time- A Study of Its Miraculous Nature (part 94)
Silkworms and Honeybees: Manifestations of Wisdom, Guidance, and Perfection in Creation
The Holy Qur’an constantly invites humans to reflect upon the phenomena of nature and considers them clear signs for those of certainty.
وَفِي ٱلأَرضِ ءَايَٰت لِّلمُوقِنِينَ Translation: “And on the earth are signs for those of certainty.” [1]
Among these signs, the world of insects, with all its delicacy, order, and astonishing functions, represents one of the clearest manifestations of divine miracle. In this section, two prominent examples from this realm—silkworms and honeybees—are examined; small creatures that reveal the greatness of divine planning and guidance in a silent yet more expressive language than any words can convey.
Silkworms and Silk: A Miracle of Natural Engineering
The silkworm has rightly been called the “undisputed queen of textiles” among scientists. This tiny creature, when its salivary secretion comes into contact with the air, immediately solidifies into a silk thread. This secretion is coated with a special protein that gives the resulting thread a pearly shine and breathtaking beauty.
The silkworm can spin approximately six inches of thread per minute, and the continuous thread can reach up to 300 meters. Every 360 cocoons are equivalent to producing one silk shirt. Despite this, the weight of this garment is astonishingly light.
Humans have not yet been able to replicate silk with the same properties because:
•Its weight is extremely light;
•Its strength exceeds that of steel;
•Its beauty, softness, and shine are natural and lasting.
Moreover, every 25,000 cocoons yield only one pound of silk, and 10,000 cocoons produce one kilogram of silk. This astonishing combination of lightness, strength, and beauty is nothing but a manifestation of divine creation:
صُنعَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَتقَنَ كُلَّ شَيءٍ [2] Translation: “Made by Allah, who perfected all things.”
Additionally, some species of this insect produce “golden” or “silver-pearly” silk, completely natural colors that neither change in sunlight nor require fixing agents. These colors, like gold and pearls, are stable and enduring.
All these are signs scattered by God on Earth for humans to recognize His greatness, knowledge, mercy, power, and self-sufficiency, as He says: إِنَّمَا يَخشَى ٱللَّهَ مِن عِبَادِهِ ٱلعُلَمَٰٓؤُاْ [3] Translation: “It is only those who have knowledge among His servants that fear Allah.”
The Qur’an’s Call to Reflect on Creation
The Qur’an regards contemplation on the phenomena of existence as a profound act of worship and says: إِنَّ فِي خَلقِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلأَرضِ وَٱختِلَٰفِ ٱلَّيلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَأٓيَٰتٖ لِّأُوْلِي ٱلأَلبَٰبِ Translation: “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.” [4]
Humans are required, in every situation—standing or sitting at home or among people—to reflect upon their own creation, their needs, their clothing, and the wool and silk threads that human intellect has failed to replicate, so that their faith elevates from imitation to certainty.
Honeybees: A Major Sign in the System of Creation
The honeybee is one of the most remarkable symbols of divine power and wisdom. God Almighty says: وَأَوحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى ٱلنَّحلِ أَنِ ٱتَّخِذِي مِنَ ٱلجِبَالِ بُيُوتا وَمِنَ ٱلشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعرِشُونَ Translation: “And your Lord inspired to the bee: ‘Take for yourself among the mountains, trees, and what people build, houses.’” [5]
The feminine form in the commands “اتّخِذي”, “كُلِي”, “فاسلكي”, and “رَبِّكِ”—indicates that these instructions are directed to female worker bees, responsible for building the hive, producing honey, and managing the colony. The honeybee is the only insect capable of storing nectar, producing wax and honey, and simultaneously playing a crucial role in pollinating plants; without bees, many plants would not reproduce.
Scientific Wonders in the Behaviour and Function of Honeybees
Honeybees have an extremely precise and coordinated social system, more complex than many advanced human societies. Each bee visits over 1,000 flowers to collect a single drop of nectar, and about one million flowers are needed to collect 100 grams of nectar.
The bee’s flight speed reaches 65 km/h, and when carrying nectar—equivalent to two-thirds of its body weight—it flies at nearly 30 km/h. To produce one kilogram of honey, a bee travels approximately 400,000 km, equal to ten complete trips around the Earth.
During these flights, complex chemical transformations occur in the nectar, processes that bees have been employing long before modern human industries.
The Queen, Workers, and the Miraculous Order of the Hive
The queen bee is the largest member of the hive and lays between 1,000 and 2,000 eggs daily in spring. Remarkably, she places eggs in different positions: queens in one area, males in another, and workers in a separate section, so that each receives food appropriate to their future role, as if the type of offspring is known before birth.
Within the hive, tasks are meticulously divided: queen attendants, nurse bees, water carriers, ventilators, guards, hexagonal cell builders, and scouts locating flower sources. Even bee communication occurs through “purposeful dances” that indicate the distance, direction, and abundance of food.
Honey: Healing and Qur’anic Miracle
The Qur’an says: يَخرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَاب مُّختَلِفٌ أَلوَٰنُهُۥ فِيهِ شِفَآء لِّلنَّاسِ Translation: “From their bellies comes a drink of varying colors in which there is healing for people.” [6]
The word “healing” in the Qur’an appears only in two instances: honey and the Qur’an itself—honey heals the body, while the Qur’an heals the soul. Today, the therapeutic value of honey is recognized far beyond its nutritional value, and many of its properties have been scientifically verified.
Instinctive Revelation and the Miracle of Guidance
Revelation in the Qur’an takes various forms: legislative revelation for the prophets, inspired guidance for ordinary humans, and instinctive guidance for creatures such as bees. God, who inspires the earth, has also endowed bees with specific guidance because of the great service they provide to humans.
The Qur’an’s precise use of the feminine form for bees, a fact not scientifically recognized for centuries, is itself a clear sign of the miraculous nature of this divine book.
Conclusion
The insect world, especially silkworms and honeybees, offers a vast arena to observe divine miracles—miracles hidden in order, beauty, efficiency, and guidance. These signs lead humans from imitative faith to investigative faith, showing that:
What these small creatures accomplish is not by chance but results from the “guidance, planning, and wisdom of God Almighty.”
The Holy Qur’an continually calls humans to reflect on nature’s phenomena as clear signs for those of certainty: وَفِي ٱلأَرضِ ءَايَٰت لِّلمُوقِنِينَ Translation: “And on the earth are signs for those of certainty.” [7]
All these phenomena remind humans of God’s limitless power, knowledge, and wisdom: فَسُبحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ حِينَ تُمسُونَ وَحِينَ تُصبِحُونَ Translation: “So exalted is Allah when you reach the evening and when you reach the morning.” [8]
By reflecting on the creation of these insects, humans can strengthen their faith and observe the greatness of the Creator through “signs in nature and the miracle of creation” [9].
Continues…
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References:
[1] Al-Dhariyat: 20
[2] An-Naml: 88
[3] Fatir: 28
[4] Al-Imran: 190
[5] An-Nahl: 68
[6] An-Nahl: 69
[7] Al-Dhariyat: 20
[8] Ar-Rum: 17
[9] Summary from: Encyclopedia of Scientific Miracles in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Vol. 2, pp. 205–212
