verses lauds creation from heavens and earth to humankind and cattle, extending to oceans, mountains, and stars (vv. 3–16). Simultaneously it warns of a painful punishment for disbelievers and promises an eternal reward for believers (vv. 106–28). The title comes from a tribute to the bee, the epitome of divine disclosure through nature, in vv. 68–69.
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1What God has decreed is coming,
so do not seek to hasten it.
Glory be to Him, exalted above
the gods they join with Him.
2He sends down the angels, inspired
by His command,° to whichever
of His servants He will, “Warn them:
There is no god but Me, so fear Me.”
3He created the heavens and earth
with true purpose; He is exalted above
the gods they join with Him.
4He created human beings
from a tiny globule—yet see
how openly defiant they are!
5He created cattle for you,
giving you warmth and other uses;
you consume them for food,
6and you sense a beauty in them
when you bring them home [at dusk]
and herd them to pasture [at dawn].
7And they bear your loads to lands
you could not reach without hardship.
Your Lord is Most Kind, Ever Merciful.
8And He gave you horses,
mules, and donkeys, to ride
as well as for their beauty,°
and He created other things
beyond your knowledge.
9God shows the right path,
but some paths lead away from this.
Had He wished,
He would have guided you all.
SECTION 2
10It is He who sends down water
from the sky, which you drink,
which also brings greenery
for your livestock to graze.°
11With it He brings forth for you
corn, olives, date palms, and vines,
and all variety of fruit. In this
is a sign for those who think.
12And He subdues to your use
night and day, sun and moon.
And the constellations are subdued
by His command. In this
is a sign for those who reason.
13And He has multiplied
all things for you on earth,
in varying colors. In this
is a sign for those who take heed.
14It is He Who subdued the sea
so you might consume its fish, all fresh,
and bring up from its depth ornaments
to wear. And you gaze upon the ships
that plow its waves so you might
seek the bounty of God, and give thanks.
15And He has cast upon the earth
sturdy mountains, to stop it quaking
beneath you; and rivers and paths
so you might be guided,
16as well as landmarks.
By the stars too, people are guided.
17Is One who creates the same
as one who cannot create?
Won’t you, then, take heed?
18If you tried to count
the favors of God, you could
never number them. God
is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
19And God knows
what you conceal
and what you reveal.
20Those on whom they call
besides God can create nothing;
they themselves are created—
21dead, without any life;
nor can they even sense
when they might be resurrected.
SECTION 3
22Your God is One God. But those
who don’t believe in the hereafter
refuse the truth in their hearts,
and they are full of pride.
23No doubt, God knows
what they conceal
and what they reveal,
and He dislikes those
who are full of pride.
24When they are asked,
“What has your Lord revealed?”
they scoff in reply,
“Tales of the ancients.”
25So let them bear, on the day
of resurrection, the full weight
of their own burdens, as well as
the burdens of those they led astray
—without any knowledge—
a harrowing burden to bear.°
SECTION 4
26Those before them also schemed,
but God assailed the very foundations
of their building; the roof crashed
down upon them, and His wrath
struck them from places
they could not conceive.
27Then, on the day of resurrection,
He will shame them, saying,
“Where are My partners—the gods
for whose sake you opposed [Me]?”
Those with knowledge will say,
“Today, shame and misery
shall shroud the disbelievers.”
28Those whose souls the angels
take while wronging themselves
will profess submission:
“We didn’t do any evil.”
They will be answered,
“But you did—God Knows well
all that you have done.
29“Enter, then, the gates of hell,
to stay there forever—an evil home
for those who were proud.”
30When those who are
mindful of God are asked,
“What has your Lord revealed?”
they will answer, “All that is good.”
Those who do good will reap good
in this world, yet the home
of the hereafter will be better still.
Excellent is the home of those
who are mindful of God.
31They shall enter eternal gardens,
beneath which rivers flow. There
they shall have all that they desire—
this is how God rewards those
who are mindful of Him.
32Those whose souls the angels
take while in a state of goodness—
the angels will say to them,
“Peace be with you; enter the garden,
a reward for all that you did.”
33Are the unbelievers waiting
for the angels to come to them, or for
your Lord to command [their doom]?
This is what those before them did—
it is not God who wrongs them
but they who wrong themselves.
34They were struck by the evil
of their own deeds, and besieged
by what they used to mock.
SECTION 5
35The polytheists say,
“If God had wished it,
We would have worshipped nothing
besides Him, we and our ancestors;
and would have forbidden nothing
without his leave.” This is what
those before them did.
What is the task of the messengers
but to convey the message clearly?
36We sent messengers
to every people, saying,
“Worship the One God,
and shun the false gods.”
And among them were some
that God guided, and some
deserving to go astray.
Travel, then, across the earth
and observe the fate
of those who denied.
37Even if you want them
to be guided, God will not guide
those who mislead others,
and there will be none to help them.
38They swear their strongest oaths
by God, that God won’t raise the dead
—yes, He will; His promise is true,
but most people don’t know it—
39to make clear to them the things
they dispute, and to make unbelievers
realize they were lying.
40When We intend something,
We merely say, “Be!”—and it is!
SECTION 6
41To those who were wronged and
left their homes in God’s cause,
We’ll give a good home in this world;
yet the reward of the hereafter
is greater—if only they knew.
42They are the ones who practice
patience, and trust in their Lord.
43And We only sent before you
men whom We inspired
—ask those who possess the message
if you yourselves don’t know—
44with clear signs and scriptures;
and We revealed the message to you,
Prophet, for you to explain to people
what We sent down to them
so they might reflect.
45Can those who devise
wicked schemes feel sure
that God won’t make the earth
swallow them up, or that His wrath
won’t strike them from places
they cannot conceive,
46or take them suddenly
as they come and go
—for they cannot thwart God—
47or take them by slow attrition?
Yet your Lord is Most Kind,
Ever Merciful.
48Don’t they see the things
that God created—
how their very shadows incline
to right and left,
bowing humbly before God?
49All in the heavens and all on earth
bow to God, living creatures
and the angels—
for they are not proud.
50They all fear their Lord, Who
is high above them, and they do
as they are commanded.
SECTION 7
51God has said,
“Do not worship two gods—
He is the One, the only God,
so fear Me alone.”
52To Him belongs all
that is in the heavens and earth;
to Him everlasting worship is due.
Why would you fear any but God?
53Whatever blessings you have
are from God alone,
and when misfortune strikes you,
you cry to Him alone for help.
54Yet, when He relieves your misfortune,
some of you join other gods with God,
55ungrateful for what He has given.
Enjoy your brief time, for soon
you shall come to know.
56And they consecrate a portion
of what We have given them
to idols, things they don’t know.
By God, you will be asked
about the things you fabricated.
57They ascribe daughters to God
—may He be glorified—
but for themselves they want sons.°
58When any of them gets news
of the birth of a girl, his face darkens
as he fills with inward gloom.
59Out of shame, he hides himself
away from people,
on account of his bad news.
Should he keep her, to his ignominy,
or bury her alive in the sand?°
How wicked is their judgment.
60Those who don’t believe
in the hereafter are an allegory
of evil, whereas God is an allegory
of what is Most High,°
for He is Almighty, All Wise.
SECTION 8
61If God took people to task
for their wrongs, He would leave
not one living creature on earth, but
he reprieves them for a given term.
Once that term ends,
they cannot delay it, nor hasten it—
not by one hour.
62They ascribe to God
what they themselves dislike,°
and their tongues mouth the lie
that the best things° are for them.
Without doubt, the fire is for them—
in fact, they’ll be hurried there.
63By God, We sent messengers to peoples
before you, but Satan made
their [wicked] deeds seem fair to them;
he is still their ally today—
but they shall face a painful torment.
64We revealed the Book to you
only for you to clarify for them
the things they dispute, and as a guide
and mercy to people who believe.
65And God sends down rain
from the sky, bringing life
to the dead earth.° In this
is a sign for those who hear.
SECTION 9
66In the uses of cattle, too,
there is a precept for you:
We give you drink from their bellies
—between excrement and blood—
pure milk, sweet to those who drink.
67And from the fruit of date palm
and vine, you harvest wine
as well as wholesome food. In this
is a sign for those who reason.
68Your Lord inspired the bee,
“Build your hives in the hills,
in trees, and in human dwellings.
69“So eat of all kinds of fruits,
and follow the paths made smooth
by your Lord.” From their bellies
issues a drink of varying hues,
able to heal people. In this
is a sign for those who think.
70It is God Who created you
and will cause you to die,
making some of you regress
to an abject state of old age,
knowing nothing—after knowing.
God is All Knowing, All Powerful.
SECTION 10
71God has favored some of you
with greater provision than others.
Those with more would not reallocate
their share to their slaves,
so as to make them equal. Will they
deny, then, the blessings of God?
72God has made spouses for you,
from yourselves, and from them, children
and grandchildren,
and He has provided you
with all that is good.
Would they still believe in falsehood
and deny the blessings of God?
73And would they worship others
instead of God—who have no power
to provide them with anything
from the heavens or the earth,
and are incapable?
74Do not coin any likeness of God:
God has Knowledge—you do not.°
75God coins a parable: a slave,
who is owned, with no power
over anything; and a man to whom
We have given ample provision,
who spends in charity both secretly
and openly. How can