HONEY
When it comes to honey, people find it one of the most controversial and confusing foods avoided in a vegan diet.
Bees are said to be Allah’s miracles; the way they function and how they behave, are to be held as an example. In the Quran, it is evident that the bee is held in high regard, receiving direct instruction from God, and setting an example for mankind.
So why do vegans not consume honey? How does it hurt the bees? And what does the Quran say about bees and honey?
ANIMAL ABUSE
Profiting from honey requires the manipulation and exploitation of the insects' desire to live and protect their hive. Like other factory-farmed animals, honeybees are victims of unnatural living conditions, genetic manipulation, and stressful transportation.
A single worker bee may visit up to 10,000 flowers in one day and, in her lifetime, produce only a teaspoonful of honey. For us it is only a teaspoon of honey, but for the bee it is a lifetime of work.
Swarming is the division of the hive upon the birth of a new queen; and that can cause a decline in honey production, so beekeepers do what they can to prevent it, including clipping the wings of a queen. Queens are artificially inseminated using male honeybees, who are killed in the process (up to 15 males killed per queen). Commercial beekeepers also “trick” queens into laying more eggs by adding wax cells to the hive that are larger than those that worker bees would normally build.
Many people may think that bees don't suffer. However, scientifically all the evidence available indicates that they, as many other invertebrates who have a centralized nervous system, do have the capacity to feel suffering and pleasure.
The Quran famously draws lessons from bees, ants, livestock, and spiders; implying that everything around us is alive, conscious, and sentient.
In the Quran it says,
“And there is no creature on the earth or bird that flies with its wings except that they are communities like you. We have not neglected a thing in the Register. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered.”
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) taught us,
“Once there was a prophet who was resting under a tree when an ant bit him, so he ordered that his luggage be taken away from underneath it (the tree) and the ant’s dwelling burned with fire. Allah revealed to him: ‘A single ant has bitten you, yet you have destroyed a nation that glorifies Allah?’”
In fact, in Islam, killing a bee is considered a great sin.
When a lot of bee killing happens in the making of this honey nowadays, is it still Halal to consume?
“Whoever kills so much as a sparrow unjustly will have it pleading to Allah on the Day of Resurrection, saying: O Lord, he killed me for no reason, and he did not kill me for any beneficial purpose.”
Honey and pollen are the building blocks of a bee's diet. Bees eat honey because it provides them with energy-laden carbohydrates, while pollen's protein provides bees with essential amino acids. After beekeepers take the honey, they feed the bees sugar syrup and other sub-par foods to keep them alive. The stressful, unnatural living conditions, malnutrition, and cruelty inherent in factory farming weaken the bees' immune systems.
There is a whole chapter in the Quran named after the bees named An-nahl which literally translates to “The bee”. In that chapter it is said:
“And the Lord inspired the bee, saying: Take your habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect. Then, eat of all fruits and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for you).”
For a bee to consume sugar syrup it is not natural nor healthy for them. And we can also see from the previous verse that the natural feed for bees are fruits and plants in which God ordered the bees to eat from.
The bees in total are tortured physically and mentally. In our days, in the presence of modern technology and medicine, we can completely let go of honey. Whether it’s for the benefit or taste. And that way all the suffering and exploitation of the bees end as God wants it to be.
Credit: Rafael Bastante / We Animals Media
HEALTH ABUSE
“There comes forth from their bellies a drink of varying colors wherein is healing for mankind. Verily in this is indeed a sign for people who think.”
In the Quran, it is clear that honey is healing and has its benefits.
Nowadays people have turned from using honey as a healing food moderately to using honey as a sweetener on a regular basis and exploit the use of it.
This comes with consequences as eating large quantities of honey, especially consistently over a long period, can contribute to weight gain and increase your risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
We shall not exploit the use of honey or the bees. Today, there are many other alternatives that don't include suffering and taste just as good!
Allah said:
“Eat of the good things and do righteous deeds. Surely, I know what you do.”
ENVIRONMENTAL ABUSE
There is no doubting the importance of bees to the environment. Without them, our gardens would be bare and our plates empty.
As pollinators, bees play a part in every aspect of the ecosystem. They support the growth of trees, flowers, and other plants, which serve as food and shelter for creatures large and small. Bees contribute to complex, interconnected ecosystems that allow a diverse number of different species to coexist. Without bees, the availability and diversity of fresh produce would decline substantially, and human nutrition would likely suffer.
It is traditional in any reference to the environmental threats to our planet to quote the physicist Albert Einstein when he said that if the bee disappeared from the surface of the globe, humanity would have only four years of life left, as food crops would have no one to pollinate them.
The honey industry affects the environment in a number of incredibly negative ways. Commercial honey operations, even small ones, put pressure on wild bee species that are already declining for other reasons. This is due, in part, to the fact that honeybees often monopolize the floral resources of a given area. The result? There aren’t enough flowers to go around for the other native bee populations. This whole system is dangerous and can lead to bee extinction.
Protecting the bees from any harm, suffering or even more so extinction, should be our job. As preserving the environment and these animals is a religious duty in addition to a social obligation, and is not considered an optional matter.
“That you may not transgress in the balance, but weigh things equitably and skimp not in the balance. That is, as you are living in a balanced universe, whose entire system has been established on justice, you should also adhere to justice.”
“And do good as Allah has been good to you. Moreover, do not seek to cause corruption in the earth. Allah does not love the corrupters.”
“There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm.”
Cover Photo Credit: Rafael Bastante / We Animals Media
The following initiative includes hadiths from different sects and religious opinions respecting all point of views. Readers are encouraged to follow with the ones they prefer depending on their beliefs.