The Qur’an also offers us an important starting point to learn about the role of bees in Islam. In the the sixteenth surah, accordingly named “The Bee” or Surah al-Nahl, the bee receives a direct revelation from God: 

And your Lord inspired the bee, saying: 
"Take you 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)." 
There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colour 
wherein is healing for men. 
Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think.
(Surah 16:68-69)

In this surah, God communicates directly with the bee, giving it a special status. While some commentators believe this communication to be a revelation, others, especially within the Sunni tradition, understand it more as a divine inspiration. 

Be that as it may, the perfection with which bees build their hives from perfectly formed hexagons far surpasses human abilities and is thus understood to be inspired and guided by God. Furthermore, it is their obedience and submission to the divine will which allow them to produce honey – a procedure that humans cannot understand. 

Honey – a powerful but dangerous substance 
As the surah lets us know, bees transform fruits into honey, the drink of various colours. The bee can produce honey only because it is guided by God. Thus, honey must also be understood as God’s ability to support humans by providing them with benevolent substances. There are numerous examples of Prophet Muhammed pointing out the power of honey, for example in this narration of Abu Saeed al-Khudri:

“A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘My brother has pain in his stomach’, so the Prophet said, ‘Give him honey to drink.’ The man came back and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! It only increased his illness!’ So the Prophet said, ‘Give him honey to drink.’ The man came back and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! It only increased his illness!’ The Prophet of Allah said ‘Allah spoke the truth and your brother’s belly has lied. Go and give him honey to drink.’ He went and gave him honey and was cured."

As this passage points out, honey does not heal because of its inherent powers, but because God works through it. Thus, honey is understood to have healing power if combined with the belief in God’s power. The Islamic medical literature, especially the work of Ibn Sina, lists a number of beneficial uses of honey: assisting digestion, preserving youthfulness, aiding memory and stirring happiness. As in many other religions, rivers of honey also appear in the description of Paradise. See here for a talk with Mohamed Adam M.D. about the centuries-old honey-based Unani medicine. 

Still, honey is also a dangerous substance. This can be attributed to the possibility of fermenting honey and making wine from it. Honey can be transformed into a substance that corrupts the mind and thus needs social and legal constraints.

Some concluding facts 
In the original passage of the Qur’an, God uses the female tense when addressing the bees and instructing them to find a new home. In nature, this is a task performed only by female bees. Also, bees have 16 chromosomes – just like the number of the surah.