The signs of the Creator’s power and presence is the main theme in several substantial passages in this sūra. In one of these passages, the Creator speaks to the bee – after which the sūra is named. A couple of these passages also include refrains, suggesting a liturgical use of some of the verses. The Creator then looks for an appropriate response from his creation. Animals, birds, and insects respond naturally, but humans have difficulty showing thankfulness for the provisions of their Creator. This sūra urges idolaters to consider whether their idols have the power to create. Human response, whether appropriate or not, brings consequences. The sūra promises rewards and punishments on the Day of Resurrection, beyond the judgments that Allah may execute on peoples in the present life. There are no messenger stories in this sūra, but Abraham is called a Ḥanīf and his character is spotlighted as an example for the messenger. The sūra addresses several other passages directly to the messenger, encouraging him to be patient in the face of resistance.

Calling to Islam ( da‘wa ) Matthew Kuiper The Arabic term da ‘ wa can be translated as “calling,” “inviting,” or “summoning.” Like jihād , Muslims historically have used da ‘ wa for a diverse set of ideas and practices. In modern times, the term is overwhelmingly used for Islamic missionary activity (“inviting” to Islam). In the Quran, da ‘ wa and variants occur over two hundred times. Along with the noun da ‘ wa , there are many occurrences of the verb da ‘ ā (to invite) and the participle dā ‘ ī (one who invites). Sometimes da ‘ wa has a “secular” meaning (e.g., calling witnesses in 2.282; inviting to a meal in 33.53), but most often, da ‘ wa and variants are used in the Quran for prayer: calling upon God or upon false gods (e.g., 2.186; 6.17; 13.14; 17.56; 18.14; 34.22). Before one can offer da ‘ wa to God in prayer, however, one must hear and respond to God’s own da ‘ wa . Not unlike the theological concept of missio Dei (mission of God) – wherein God takes the initiative in redemption – God is pictured in the Quran as the first practitioner of missionary da ‘ wa . In the Quran, one hears the voice of a preacher, and very often that preacher is God delivering to humanity his summons ( da ‘ wa ) to repentance and submission ( islām ) (10.25). According to the Quran, this divine da ‘ wa demands several human responses. First, responding to God’s da ‘ wa entails resisting the false da ‘ wa s of Satan and others (2.221; 14.22; 28.41). Underlying its warnings on this theme is the Quran’s assumption that da ‘ wa takes place in a competitive space in which multiple da ‘ wa s vie for human attention. Second, responding to God’s da ‘ wa entails heeding the da ‘ wa of God’s prophets and messengers. Prophets who communicate God’s da ‘ wa in the Quran include Noah, Moses, Elijah, Joseph, and Jesus. The Quran also narrates the da ‘ wa s of several ordinary believers (40.28–43). Muslim preachers today cite the latter to argue that da ‘ wa is the responsibility of every Muslim . For Muslims, of course, the most important quranic prophet is Muhammad. Setting aside scholarly questions concerning the identity of the Quran’s prophet (the name “Muhammad” appears only four times in the Quran), how do Muslims understand the Quran’s teaching on Muhammad and his da ‘ wa ? For Muslims, God’s da ‘ wa is now made decisively through Muhammad (8.20–24, 33.45–46, 46.31–32). Muhammad’s da ‘ wa , moreover, supersedes the da ‘ wa s of earlier prophets and is universal. In part for this reason, Muhammad’s quranic da ‘ wa is pervaded by interreligious debates with unbelievers ( kāfirūn ), “polytheists” ( mushrikūn ), Jews ( yahūd ), and Christians ( naṣāra ). Muhammad’s da ‘ wa aims not only to persuade skeptics and unbelievers but also to admonish “believers” ( mu ’ minūn ) (e.g., 9.38–9). Today, too, da ‘ wa is as often directed toward Muslims as toward non-Muslims. In either case, Muhammad’s quranic da ‘ wa is always made with urgency, in light of the terrible coming Day of Judgment (14.44; 40.10–14; 40.49–50). Third, responding to God’s da ‘ wa entails engaging in da ‘ wa as a community. Though the early quranic community ( umma ) should not be too quickly equated with the Muslim umma of later centuries, it is still clear that the Quran speaks to a community of believers and endows it with certain responsibilities, da ‘ wa among them. One of the most important texts on this theme is 16.125: “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good admonition, and dispute with them by means of what is better.” Similar to the way many Christians understand the New Testament’s “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19–20), contemporary da ‘ wa -minded Muslims believe this quranic verse gives them a mandate to spread Islam to the whole world. Another frequently quoted verse is 3.104: “Let there be (one) community of you, calling (people) to good, and commanding right and forbidding wrong” (cf. 3.110). In this verse, da ‘ wa is related to the duty to command the right and forbid the wrong. Some modern Muslims understand this to mean that da ‘ wa is part of a larger project of promoting shari ‘ a (Islamic Law) around the world. Sūra 9.71, which also mentions commanding right and forbidding wrong, is used by modern activists to substantiate the idea that Muslim women should be engaged in da ‘ wa. Among the Quran’s primary purposes is to persuade its audience to heed God’s da ‘ wa by heeding his prophets and messengers, especially Muhammad. In this sense, we might say that Quran not only contains but is the original da ‘ wa of Islam. In the Quran, this da ‘ wa results in a community – a community which offers da ‘ wa to God in prayer, resists false da ‘ wa s, and which carries out missionary da ‘ wa after the pattern of the prophets.

Calling to Islam ( da‘wa ) Matthew Kuiper The Arabic term da ‘ wa can be translated as “calling,” “inviting,” or “summoning.” Like jihād , Muslims historically have used da ‘ wa for a diverse set of ideas and practices. In modern times, the term is overwhelmingly used for Islamic missionary activity (“inviting” to Islam). In the Quran, da ‘ wa and variants occur over two hundred times. Along with the noun da ‘ wa , there are many occurrences of the verb da ‘ ā (to invite) and the participle dā ‘ ī (one who invites). Sometimes da ‘ wa has a “secular” meaning (e.g., calling witnesses in 2.282; inviting to a meal in 33.53), but most often, da ‘ wa and variants are used in the Quran for prayer: calling upon God or upon false gods (e.g., 2.186; 6.17; 13.14; 17.56; 18.14; 34.22). Before one can offer da ‘ wa to God in prayer, however, one must hear and respond to God’s own da ‘ wa . Not unlike the theological concept of missio Dei (mission of God) – wherein God takes the initiative in redemption – God is pictured in the Quran as the first practitioner of missionary da ‘ wa . In the Quran, one hears the voice of a preacher, and very often that preacher is God delivering to humanity his summons ( da ‘ wa ) to repentance and submission ( islām ) (10.25). According to the Quran, this divine da ‘ wa demands several human responses. First, responding to God’s da ‘ wa entails resisting the false da ‘ wa s of Satan and others (2.221; 14.22; 28.41). Underlying its warnings on this theme is the Quran’s assumption that da ‘ wa takes place in a competitive space in which multiple da ‘ wa s vie for human attention. Second, responding to God’s da ‘ wa entails heeding the da ‘ wa of God’s prophets and messengers. Prophets who communicate God’s da ‘ wa in the Quran include Noah, Moses, Elijah, Joseph, and Jesus. The Quran also narrates the da ‘ wa s of several ordinary believers (40.28–43). Muslim preachers today cite the latter to argue that da ‘ wa is the responsibility of every Muslim . For Muslims, of course, the most important quranic prophet is Muhammad. Setting aside scholarly questions concerning the identity of the Quran’s prophet (the name “Muhammad” appears only four times in the Quran), how do Muslims understand the Quran’s teaching on Muhammad and his da ‘ wa ? For Muslims, God’s da ‘ wa is now made decisively through Muhammad (8.20–24, 33.45–46, 46.31–32). Muhammad’s da ‘ wa , moreover, supersedes the da ‘ wa s of earlier prophets and is universal. In part for this reason, Muhammad’s quranic da ‘ wa is pervaded by interreligious debates with unbelievers ( kāfirūn ), “polytheists” ( mushrikūn ), Jews ( yahūd ), and Christians ( naṣāra ). Muhammad’s da ‘ wa aims not only to persuade skeptics and unbelievers but also to admonish “believers” ( mu ’ minūn ) (e.g., 9.38–9). Today, too, da ‘ wa is as often directed toward Muslims as toward non-Muslims. In either case, Muhammad’s quranic da ‘ wa is always made with urgency, in light of the terrible coming Day of Judgment (14.44; 40.10–14; 40.49–50). Third, responding to God’s da ‘ wa entails engaging in da ‘ wa as a community. Though the early quranic community ( umma ) should not be too quickly equated with the Muslim umma of later centuries, it is still clear that the Quran speaks to a community of believers and endows it with certain responsibilities, da ‘ wa among them. One of the most important texts on this theme is 16.125: “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good admonition, and dispute with them by means of what is better.” Similar to the way many Christians understand the New Testament’s “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19–20), contemporary da ‘ wa -minded Muslims believe this quranic verse gives them a mandate to spread Islam to the whole world. Another frequently quoted verse is 3.104: “Let there be (one) community of you, calling (people) to good, and commanding right and forbidding wrong” (cf. 3.110). In this verse, da ‘ wa is related to the duty to command the right and forbid the wrong. Some modern Muslims understand this to mean that da ‘ wa is part of a larger project of promoting shari ‘ a (Islamic Law) around the world. Sūra 9.71, which also mentions commanding right and forbidding wrong, is used by modern activists to substantiate the idea that Muslim women should be engaged in da ‘ wa. Among the Quran’s primary purposes is to persuade its audience to heed God’s da ‘ wa by heeding his prophets and messengers, especially Muhammad. In this sense, we might say that Quran not only contains but is the original da ‘ wa of Islam. In the Quran, this da ‘ wa results in a community – a community which offers da ‘ wa to God in prayer, resists false da ‘ wa s, and which carries out missionary da ‘ wa after the pattern of the prophets.