🐝 The Believer is Like A Bee

The Prophet ﷺ said, 

وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ إِنَّ مَثَلَ الْمُؤْمِنِ لَكَمَثَلِ النَّحْلَةِ أَكَلَتْ طَيِّبًا وَوَضَعَتْ طَيِّبًا وَوَقَعَتْ فَلَمْ تُكْسَرْ وَلَمْ تَفْسُدْ

“I Swear By the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the parable of the believer is that of a bee:

It consumes and produces what is pure and good.

When it lands on a branch, it never breaks or spoils (it).”

(Narrated in Musnad Aḥmad 6872; graded Sahih li ghayrihi according to Al-Arna’ut)

Amazing Hadith! I recently heard this hadith for the first time, and there’s so much deep insights defining the Muslim identity:

1. 🌺 Consumes what is pure - 

Bees knows what they want, and are very selective to extract exactly from the flowers they stop by: nectar and pollen. They know what to filter out, and don’t take “additional souvenirs” beyond their needs. Likewise, a believer sees with insight, using their values and principles defined by the Quran & sunnah to selectively extract the goodness out of their environment: the people they meet, the places they go, the content they consume, the sights and sounds they experience - and they filter out the unnecessary, bad stuff. 

    

2. 🍯 Produces what is pure - 

From the nectar they extract from the flowers, their stomachs partially process the nectar with some enzymes, where they regurgitate it back out back at their hives as honey. It’s this processing that give honey the natural healthy remedies. Likewise, a believer takes from the environment, “processes” it through the lens of iman, and therefore through his words & deeds, produce that which is pure and beneficial for others around them - a blessed presence (mubarak)! 

Interesting fact: The European honeybee pollinates three-fourths (75%) of the fruits, veggies & nuts that we eat!

Furthermore, what’s so interesting about bees is that they have a somewhat ‘subconscious’ symbiotic relationship with the flowers: They help spread out the pollen and pollinate the flowers. They don’t do this consciously, but it’s a byproduct of them effectively being so nimble as they travel from flower to flower. Likewise, believers, through their positive conduct - adab and akhlaq - always leave a positive beneficial trail in their wake, inspiring optimism and productivity whether they realize it or not. 

    

3. 🍃 When it lands on a branch, it never breaks of spoils it -  

Unlike parasites which leech of their hosts, bees are quick and nimble and leave their hosts completely unharmed; they extract what they need and they go. In fact, through their pollination, actually bring MORE benefit their hosts in the long run, more than what they actually receive for themselves.   

As believers, we should strive to meet this standard: When we interact with others, don’t burn your bridges, sever your ties, or cause harm to others. Even if you can’t improve or enhance, then at least don’t cause harm to those around you!