7 Great Life Lessons That Honeybees Teach Us

11/10/2015
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7 Great Life Lessons that Honeybees Teach Us
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Farhat Amin
August 12
Islam & Productivity
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Photo Credit: flickr[dot]com/photos/wolfraven/
Honeybees are fascinating and its amazing how much we can learn from a tiny insect! In fact,
there is a whole surah in the Quran called An-Nahl (The Bee), where Allah
says:
And your Lord inspired to the bee, Take for yourself among the
mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they
construct. Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord
laid down [for you]. There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying
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in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign

for a people who give thought. [Quran: Chapter 16, Verses 68-69].
In an effort to be among those who give thought, we will discuss together in this article some
lessons that we can learn, ponder upon and implement in our lives, In sha Allah, all inspired by
honeybees.
Lesson 1: Honeybees inspire us to

reflect and gain knowledge
Ive always wondered how bees make honey.After doing some research, I found out that
bees start making honey, their food, by visiting flowers. They collect a sugary juice called
nectar from the blossom by sucking it out with their tongues. They store it in whats called
their honey stomach, which is exactly what Allah
mentions in the aforementioned surah.
The color and flavor of honey they produce differs depending on the nectar source.
Practical tip:
To really appreciate this surah, go online and watch a video about how bees make honey. Its
a real-life example you can share with others when explaining that the Quran could have only
been revealed by Allah
. If you have kids in your family, watch it with them and help them
understand the wisdom and lessons in the surah.
Lesson 2: Honeybees inspire us to work

together
When they have a full load, the bees fly back to the hive. There, they pass the nectar on
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through their mouths to other worker bees who chew it. Its passed from one bee to the other,
until it gradually turns into honey. Then the bees store the honey in honeycomb cells, which
are like tiny jars made of wax. The honey is still abit wet, so they fan it with their wings to dry
it out untilit becomes stickier. When its ready, they seal the cell with a wax lid to keep it
clean. Teamwork is the secret to their success.
Being part of a team makes us all feel special and our family is the first team we join.
Whether youre a dad, mum or child, we can all contribute to the success of our family. This
also teaches us humility. The goal of a humble honeybee is to play its part in producing
honey, while the ultimate goal for a Muslim family is to achieve Allahs
pleasure and attain
jannah. Just like a tiny bee, our individual role is crucial in our family; if mum decides to let her
kids play on the laptop for hours or dad chooses to spend more time at the gym than with his
kids, then everyone in the family will suffer, because the main role is not being played or
sought after.
Practical tip:
Think about your attitude towards your family. Its a question only you can answer: how am I
contributing to the success of my team?
Lesson 3: Honeybeesteach us to thrive

through obeying Allah
I was surprised by how much effort bees put into producing honey. However, what
fascinatedme more was that Allah
divinely inspireshoneybees! Allah
commands bees
to make homes in mountains, trees and hives that people construct. As a direct result of that
command, we are able to have bee farms and can harvest and enjoy honey. In effect, Allah
has placed bees at our service! Subhan Allah!
I envy honeybees for the simple yet extremely productive life they lead: they are highly
organized, focused and produce amazing results as a team, all through obeying Allahs
command!
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Practical tip:
Lets aim to live productive and meaningful lives through obeying Allah
: bydecreasing the
bad habits in our lives like listening to lewd music, watching vulgar TV shows and un-Islamic
socializing. Let us also replace those with better habits like reading Quran, watching
beneficialvideos, surrounding ourselves with good people, or simply going to the park with
our family and appreciating Allahs
magnificent creation!
Lesson 4: Honeybeesteach us to seek

pure rizq
Bees only eat nectar from fresh and clean flowers that no other bee has eaten from. So, their
sustenance (rizq) is from a pure source.
On the subject of rizq, Imam Malik was reported to have said:

No one will die until his provision is completed for him, so behave
correctly in your seeking it. [Muwatta Malik The Decree]
Our rizq is guaranteed by Allah
. Its up to us to decide how to attain it.
Nowadays, obtaining our rizq in a haram way is sometimes easier than the halal option.
Serving alcohol in your halal restaurant will make you more money. Buying properties with an
interest-based mortgage and renting them out is very lucrative. Selling small quantities of
marijuana to your friends is a quicker way to earn money than stacking shelves.
We can all make excuses to make ourselves feel better, such as: Im doing it out of
necessity or Im doing it for my kids future, but the bottom line is you will receive no
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blessings from your haram earnings and your dua will not be accepted.
The Messenger of Allah
said:
Allah the Almighty is Good and accepts only that which is good. And
verily Allah has commanded the believers to do that which He has
commanded the Messengers. So the Almighty has said: O (you)
Messengers! Eat of the tayyibat [all kinds of halal (legal) foods], and
perform righteous deeds. [23:51] and the Almighty has said: O you
who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you.
[2:172] Then he
mentioned [the case] of a man who, having
journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty, and who spreads out his hands
to the sky saying O Lord! O Lord!, while his food is haram (unlawful),
his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished
with haram, so how can [his supplication] be answered? [Muslim]
Practical tip:
Take the time out to review your finances and make sure the rizq you pursue, not just your
food but also your job or business, is pure and clean.
Lesson 5: Honeybees teach us

efficiency
We have all heard someone describing his/herself by saying theyre busy as a bee. This
description sums up the life of honeybees: theyre extremely efficient. A large beehive can
house up to 60,000 bees and they may collectively travel 55,000 miles and visit two million
flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a pound of honey!
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Lets take inspiration from honeybeesand work not just hard but efficientlyto achieve the
best results inwhatever actions we do.
Practical tip:
A simple way to increase your efficiency is by changing your sleep pattern. Gradually begin to
go to bed earlier and start waking up earlier just by 30 minutes. Late at night, we dont really
get much done, but in the morning, our body and mind are much more alert. In fact, the
Prophet
specifically prayed for barakah (blessings) in the morning hours:
O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings (i.e., what they do

early in the morning). [Ibn Majah]
Lesson 6: Honeybees provide key

relationship advice
Did you ever think you could get a relationship tip from a bee? Well, think again! Bees have
amazing symbiotic relationships with plants; they are neither greedy nor selfish. In the process
of gathering nectar, a bee gives back more to the flower: it transfers pollen grains from one
flower to another, hence pollinating the flower for essential fertilization and reproduction to
take place.
In our relationships, we should try and give more, just like the honeybee does. Its good to
be generous with our love, attention and time. In addition, while the bee is drinking nectar, it
doesnt harm the delicate petals of the flower.
Practical tip:
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Our parents, spouses and children also deserve to be treated with kindness and
consideration. Once a week, choose someone you will do something extra special for, like
making dinner for your mum, hiring a cleaner to give your wife a break from chores, or playing
football with your son. The opportunities for being considerate and generous are endless!
Lesson 7: Honeybees teach us to care

about our communities
Bees live together in well-organized hives where every bee has a role to play in its
community. The queen bee lays the eggs while worker bees clean the hive and keep the
hives temperature cool. Some bees protect the hive from intruders while others fly for miles
to collect nectar. When a bee returns to its hive, Allah
taught it to do a little dance (its
called the bee dance) to show the other bees the coordinates of the flowers so they can go
and feed. A bee cannot survive or make honey on its own; it has to cooperate with its fellow
bees.
People are exactly the same: we need to take care of our responsibilities and work with
others to create harmonious and productive societies.
Unfortunately in this day and age, the pursuit of wealth and being individualistic and selfish is
paramount. Many multinational companies exploit their workers and the environment and only
care about profit. As Muslims, we must do our best to resist these harmful ideas and just like
the honeybee, share our good fortune, be helpful and look after others.
When honeybees work together they produce more honey then they need, and people can
benefit from its healing properties. When Muslims work together for the sake of Allah
we
too can help humanity by engaging in dawah, building masjids, setting up Islamic schools and
doing charity work.
Practical tip:
Ask your local masjid if you can help out and contact weekend Islamic schools to see if you
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can volunteer there. If there are no Islamic circles in your area, then get together with likeminded people to see if you can start up a project from scratch. If your circumstances dont
allow you to leave home, look for online opportunities through which you can contribute to
your community and the ummah.
What other amazing life lessons can you extract from the lives of honeybees? Share your
thoughts in a comment below!
About Farhat Amin
Farhat Amin is the founder of "The Muslim Sticker Company"

which provide positive Islamic parenting resources to help
Muslim parents/teachers inspire kids to follow Islam. She
regularly posts on her blog MuslimStickers.com/fblog. You can also visit her
website at: MuslimStickers.com or FB page The Muslim Sticker Company
Follow@muslimstickers
407followers
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community and enrich it with your thoughts. Leave a
comment at the end of this article and with it, your
presence. We look forward to having you here:
Dr. Shaikh Heena
August 12, 2015 at 12:29 am
Alhamdullilah great .
Thanks for the sharing of knowledge.
Reply
Farhat Amin
August 12, 2015 at 3:50 am
Jazakallah Khair! I really enjoyed doing the research for this article,Im a
keen gardener, and the bees in my garden were one of the many reasons
why I got interested in this topic.
Reply
amina
August 18, 2015 at 9:15 am
A truly amazing article. Well done !!

Reply
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11/10/2015

Islam & Productivity

< Previous | Next >

Islam & Productivity

Photo Credit: flickr[dot]com/photos/wolfraven/

in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign

Lesson 1: Honeybees inspire us to

mentions in the aforementioned surah.

understand the wisdom and lessons in the surah.

Lesson 2: Honeybees inspire us to work

pleasure and attain

contributing to the success of my team?

Lesson 3: Honeybeesteach us to thrive

divinely inspireshoneybees! Allah

Lesson 4: Honeybeesteach us to seek

On the subject of rizq, Imam Malik was reported to have said:

Our rizq is guaranteed by Allah

. Its up to us to decide how to attain it.

The Messenger of Allah

mentioned [the case] of a man who, having

Lesson 5: Honeybees teach us

specifically prayed for barakah (blessings) in the morning hours:

O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings (i.e., what they do

Lesson 6: Honeybees provide key

Lesson 7: Honeybees teach us to care

taught it to do a little dance (its

About Farhat Amin

Farhat Amin is the founder of "The Muslim Sticker Company"

Get practical productivity insights designed in accordance with the

Become an active member of the Productive Muslim

A truly amazing article. Well done !!

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