Editorial

Allah Alone is the Knower of the hidden and the manifest. As He wills, He reveals His knowledge and wisdom to His chosen servants. However much he may meditate or deliberate, man cannot discover the deep secrets which are beyond the scope of his mind and his senses. However wise he may be, he cannot uncover hidden secrets which are beyond the scope of his reason. Just as the light of the sun comes from heaven and not inside the eye of man, similarly the light of revelation comes down from Allah Alone. Much is known of the wonderful organisation of the honeybee, about the nutri- tional goodness of honey and its multiple healing pro- perties. The work ethics of the honeybee impress even a casual observer and are discernible by the naked eye. The manner in which it collects material and builds its honeycomb, the way it maintains the temperature of the honeycomb, the honey- b e e ’s choice of diet, how each drop of honey is created from floral nectar and how honeybees and honeycombs are hygienically maintained in sharp contrast to other insects notorious for carrying germs and viruses, are but a few examples of the fantastic behavioural wonders of the honeybee. Yet the naturalists who specialise in this subject fail to see that such an insect could not have evolved with- out a designer and with a specific purpose in mind. It was the Holy Qur’an that uncovered the mystery of the honeybee with this decla- ration: And the Lord has inspired the bee saying, ‘Make thou houses in the hills and in the trees and in the 2 Review of Religions – September 2002 Editorial trellises which they build. Then eat of every kind of fruit and then pursue submissively the paths prescribed by your Lord.’ There comes forth from their bellies a drink of varying hues. Therein is cure for men. Surely, in that is a Sign for a people who reflect. (Ch. 16: v.69-70) Why the Holy Qur’an singled out the honeybee from amongst the innumerable species of insects and animals in the world is the theme of this month’s feature. It provides a categorical rebut- tal to the naturalists who deny a Conscious Designer in the evolution of life. This enlightening article challenges the naturalists to explain how the internal mechanisms of the honeybee could have slowly unfolded into existence by themselves. There has to be more to it than meets the eye, the article maintains. This extra- ordinary organisational skill and wonderful aptitude and the fact that the honeybee cannot improve on it demonstrates that some other Being is the fountain- head of its natural instinct. That Being has imparted this intelligence and intuitive knowledge to it and it simply functions as a slave to His command. 3 Editorial Review of Religions – September 2002 In this edition, for the conve- nience of non-Muslim English readers, (sa) or sa after the word the Holy Prophet or the name Muhammad, are used. They stand for salallahualaihiwasallam and abbreviated as ‘sa’, meaning peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Likewise, the letters ‘(as)’ or as after the name of all other Prophets is an abbreviation (meaning, peace be upon him derived from alaih salato- wasalam) for the respect a Muslim readers utters.