ثُمَّ كُلِى مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ فَٱسۡلُكِى سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلاً۬‌ۚ يَخۡرُجُ مِنۢ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ۬ مُّخۡتَلِفٌ أَلۡوَٲنُهُ ۥ فِيهِ شِفَآءٌ۬ لِّلنَّاسِ‌ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَةً۬ لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (٦٩)
 

Translation

Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you].” There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought.

بُطُونِهَا

The word بُطُونِهَا (buṭūnihā) from the above verse is indeed one of the crucial parts of this verse. Grammatically, it is a plural noun (بُطُون – buṭūn, meaning “bellies” or “stomachs”) combined with a feminine singular possessive pronoun (هَا – hā, meaning “her” or “its”). The singular feminine pronoun “hā” refers back to the bee (النَّحْل – an-naḥl), which is grammatically feminine singular in Arabic, as established in the preceding verses (16:68). Therefore, the literal translation of بُطُونِهَا is “her bellies” or “her stomachs.” The plural form “buṭūn” (bellies/stomachs) referring to a single entity is a common linguistic phenomenon in Arabic, often used to denote multiplicity of function, internal complexity, or different internal compartments within that single entity. 

This aligns with scientific understanding of a bee having multiple stomach systems (honey stomach and digestive stomach) A bee’s digestive system is indeed complex and includes distinct compartments. The primary “stomach” for honey production is the honey crop or honey sac (also known as the proventriculus), which is separate from the true digestive stomach (ventriculus or midgut). The honey crop is used for storing nectar and regurgitating it to produce honey, while the midgut is where actual digestion of food for the bee’s own sustenance occurs. Therefore, the use of the plural “stomachs” (بُطُون) with a singular feminine pronoun referring to the bee (هَا) can be seen as a remarkably accurate description of the bee’s internal anatomy, which includes multiple functional compartments for processing food and producing honey. This linguistic choice in the Quran, understood in light of modern scientific knowledge, highlights the intricate biological processes within a single bee. The V

كُلى

This word has two parts, the first part is the word كل ” KUL” an imperative Verb which means “Eat” and the second part is the “Letter YA” ى which is a feminine singular possessive pronoun (هَا – hā, meaning “her” or “its”)which is used when addressing the feminine bee كُلى KULIY (Eat (Feminine Bee) and if it was a masculine bee there would have been no latter “YA” at the end so the word would be only كل “KUL” which means Eat (Male Bee). and this is another miracle from the Quran as only recently it was discovered that Feminine Bees are the worker Bee who are the ones responsible to collect nectar and produce honey!!!.

This was mentioned in the Quran since the 7th Century Book!!!!

Science gradually discovered this information over the last few centuries using different tools. So, who informed Prophet Muhammad about this Science? The only answer is a Revelation from Allah, the creator of the Universe.

The understanding of the bee’s digestive system, including the presence of a honey sac (also known as the crop or proventriculus) separate from the true stomach (midgut), developed gradually through anatomical studies. Early naturalists and scientists, observing bees and dissecting them, would have noted this distinct organ.

One of the earliest detailed descriptions of insect anatomy, including bees, can be attributed to Jan Swammerdam in the late 17th century. His seminal work, Biblia Naturae (published posthumously in 1737), contained intricate illustrations and descriptions of insect internal organs, which would have included the bee’s digestive tract. While he may not have explicitly used the term “more than one stomach system,” his detailed anatomical drawings would have clearly depicted the crop as a separate structure from the midgut.

Later, in the 19th century, with the rise of more systematic entomological studies and improved microscopic techniques, the functions of these distinct parts became clearer. Scientists observed how nectar was stored in the crop for transport and regurgitation, while pollen and other nutrients were processed in the midgut for the bee’s own metabolic needs. This functional differentiation solidified the understanding of the bee’s specialized digestive system.

The process of honey production, where nectar is collected in the honey sac, mixed with enzymes, and then regurgitated and dehydrated, has been known for millennia through beekeeping practices. However, the internal anatomical and physiological mechanisms behind this process were elucidated through scientific inquiry over time, rather than a single discovery event. The understanding of the bee’s gut microbiota and its role in digesting different food sources (nectar and pollen) is a more recent development in the 21st century, further refining our knowledge of the bee’s digestive complexity