Harvest Stories & Pairings
Honey in the Quran: The Bee and the Rivers of Pure Honey
Al Safa HoneyOctober 17, 20265 min read
Honey has an honored place in the Quran. A whole chapter is named after the bee, honey is described as a gift with healing in it, and Paradise is pictured with rivers of honey made pure. That last phrase is the closest the Quran comes to our own name.
A chapter named for the bee
The sixteenth chapter of the Quran is Surah An-Nahl, "The Bee". It is one of the longer chapters, and it lists many of the blessings people live with every day: rain, crops, livestock, the sea, and the bee.
Verses 68 and 69 speak about the bee directly. The bee is "inspired" by God to build its homes, to eat from every kind of fruit and flower, and to follow the paths laid out for it.
"In it there is healing for people"
Verse 69 says of honey: "there comes out of their bellies a drink of varying colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for people who reflect." In Arabic: فيه شفاء للناس, fihi shifa'un lil-nas.
For many Muslims, this verse is why honey is kept in the kitchen cupboard and offered to family and guests. The verse ends by asking the reader to reflect, to look at something as small as a bee and see in it a sign.
Rivers of honey made pure
In Surah Muhammad (47:15), Paradise is described with four rivers: of water that never goes stale, of milk whose taste never changes, of wine, and "rivers of purified honey": وأنهار من عسل مصفى, anharun min asalin musaffa.
Musaffa means purified or made clear. It grows from the same Arabic root, ṣ-f-w, as Safa, the word in our name. Honey with nothing clouding it and nothing mixed in is the standard we hold every jar to.
The word Safa in the Quran
Safa also appears in the Quran as the name of a place. Surah Al-Baqarah (2:158) mentions as-Safa and al-Marwah, two small hills in Mecca: إن الصفا والمروة من شعائر الله.
Our name comes from the meaning of the word, purity and clarity, and it is with that meaning that we use it.
Said plainly
We share these verses with respect for what they mean to many of our customers. Honey is still a food, not a medicine, and it is not a replacement for medical care. Never give honey to a baby under one year old.
The ritual
A Spoon to Share
Honey has long been something offered to guests and family. A simple way to keep that habit.
- 1Set out a small dish of honey with a clean spoon when guests come for tea or coffee.
- 2Serve it with something plain, like warm bread or dates, so the honey is the flavor that stands out.
- 3Offer the first taste to someone else before you take your own.
Questions we get asked
- What does the Quran say about honey?
- Surah An-Nahl (16:68-69) describes the bee and calls honey "a drink of varying colors, in which there is healing for people". Surah Muhammad (47:15) describes rivers of purified honey in Paradise.
- Which surah is named after the bee?
- Surah An-Nahl, the sixteenth chapter of the Quran. An-Nahl means "The Bee".
- Is Al Safa mentioned in the Quran?
- As-Safa is named in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:158) as one of two hills in Mecca. Our name comes from the meaning of the word, purity and clarity. The related word musaffa, purified, describes the rivers of honey in Surah Muhammad (47:15).
Al Safa Honey is a food producer, not a medical provider. Nothing here is medical advice or a treatment for any condition — speak with your own doctor about your health, and never give honey of any kind to an infant under one year of age.
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