Surah Al Nahl

Surah Al Nahl is a Mekkan surah that discusses the immense amount of Blessings that Allah swt has bestowed upon His servants. In fact, the Blessings of Allah are mentioned so many times that the Surah is also known as Surah Ni'aam, meaning the Surah of Bounties. The title of the surah comes from verse 68 and 69 where Allah talks about the blessing of the bees. Allah taught the bees how to function as a collective to build a hive and produce honey in it. Allah reminds us from these small creatures He brings a substance of healing for mankind. Allah has made one of the smallest creatures, so beneficial to the greatest creature on earth. He swt also speaks, in this surah, about His Lordship, the revelation, and the resurrection.

Allah swt talks about the many different blessings He has bestowed upon us, from the rain, to the vegetation, and the animals that we ride and the animals we consume. He has mentioned all of these things and all of the purposes for which we need them in order to earn a livelihood and sustain ourselves. He talks about the birds, the shade, the hills, our homes and our clothes. He talks about the balance that He has placed in the Universe in order that we can function with in the vast system that is working around us.

All too often we do not show gratitude and of the most severe forms of ingratitude to Allah swt is to be anything other than just to His creations. In verse 59 Allah swt makes mention of the Jahiliya tradition of female infanticide. The Arabs would give themselves two choices following the birth of a daughter. The first was to keep her alive, and as they allowed themselves to see it, in shame and disgrace; and the second, to bury her alive. What could be more hideous form of ingratitude? Unfortunately, similar things still happen in the world today. Some people do chose to abort a pregnancy if they find the child to be a girl; others keep their daughters but treat them as property more than people. The Qur'an also emphasizes the women's right of education and free will, marriage of choice, and equal status in society. In verse 97 Allah shows that in regards to deeds, men and women are equal in the eyes of Allah. We as humans cannot lessen the status of something that Allah has determined to be equal merely for our convenience and desire to control.

Muslims are commanded to act justly to all creatures, not only human beings. Allah swt tells us to benefit from the nature around us. To be appreciative of this is to protect it from abuse and to care for it. Unfortunately we see too many cases of abuse against animals. Allah sees our ingratitude and removes the blessings from our care as we are only mishandling them. We see this through diseases such as Mad Cow Disease and Bird Flu, and other illnesses that spread amongst animals and people.

In verse 83 Allah swt reminds us of the unfortunate truth, that many of us see the blessings of Allah in front of us everyday, yet we walk passed them without a degree of gratitude. It is impossible for us as humans to show appreciation to Allah for everything that He has given us but it is necessary for us to contemplate and recognize where we would be without so many of His gifts. How often do we think about the absence of pain in our bodies, the strength of our muscles? How often do we think about the saliva that allows us to swallow, the tears that keep our eyes from drying? How often do we thank Allah for our parents and our children and our families? For many, if we start now and thank Allah for these things, each time we find ourselves complaining about them, we will have multiplied our gratitude many times. In verse 121 Allah tells us of the reward of Ibrahim, a model of an appreciative servant. Allah says for them is good in this world and the next and the grateful servants are in the ranks of the righteous.

Verse 53 and 54 mentions the servants who are grateful when it is convenient for them. When we are touched with calamity, we call on Allah asking for His Bounties, as we know He is the only source. Allah responds to our call and grants His bounties, but we are not mindful and we quickly turn back to what we were doing, neglecting to thank Him.

And if you were to count up the favors of Allah, never would you be able to count them, for Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful. [16:18]