"What if a creature as small as a honeybee held the key to unraveling the mysteries of intelligence and consciousness in living beings? The discovery of this insect’s extraordinary cognitive abilities could revolutionize science!"
"The present article, with its novel perspective on the verses of the Holy Quran and contemporary scientific findings, strengthens the bridge between religion and science. By focusing on the cognitive flexibility and mental control of honeybees, it not only revives long-standing philosophical challenges but also opens a window to future research on invertebrate intelligence. This study demonstrates that even the smallest creatures hold profound lessons for humanity."
Abstract
The revelation to the honeybee (wahy) is a subject many Quranic translators and commentators have referred to as instinctive inspiration (ilham-e gharizi). However, researchers are compelled to ask: Does the honeybee possess specific cognitive, intellectual, and perceptual characteristics that God emphasized through this revelation? Cognition, awareness, and flexibility in honeybees have recently emerged as a priority research area in animal cognitive sciences. In this observational study, research on the relationship between cognitive flexibility and the cognitive characteristics of honeybees is categorized and discussed under five themes: (1) Quantitative processing capacity; (2) Emotional state experience; (3) Social learning; (4) Informational memory; (5) Metacognitive features. Subsequently, the concept of cognitive control—defined as the ability to manage, select, and direct cognitive and mental processes—is introduced. Though not initially considered a primary objective of the study, honeybees appear to exhibit notable cognitive control, warranting further investigation in future research.
Keywords: Revelation to the honeybee (wahy), cognitive flexibility, cognitive control.
1. Introduction
Among the wide range of animals mentioned in the Holy Quran, the honeybee is the only creature to which wahy (revelation) has been attributed, as stated in Surah An-Nahl (16:68). While many Quranic translators and commentators interpret wahy as instinctive inspiration (ilham), researchers are drawn to the question: Does the honeybee possess unique cognitive, intellectual, and perceptual traits that justify God’s emphasis on revelation? Could a form of consciousness, perception, or innate capacity enable the reception of divine inspiration?
Despite their small size—and consequently, their tiny brains—honeybees exhibit remarkable cognitive characteristics that are puzzling at first glance. Furthermore, in Surah An-Nahl (16:68–69), the Almighty grants honeybees the abilities of choice and selection, navigation, and spatial orientation, each of which requires significant processing, perceptual, and cognitive capacities. Initial investigations into the conditions necessary for revelation suggest that self-awareness, cognitive capacities, and flexibility are essential. This study aims to examine existing scientific research on the cognitive capacities of honeybees and elucidate their connection to cognitive flexibility.
2. Literature Review
The term wahy (revelation) in its lexical sense refers to the rapid and concealed conveyance of meaning to another entity [1]. In practice, it is employed when the sender of wahy intends to communicate significant meanings through a method that is both free from errors in transmission and reception and impervious to third-party interference. The Holy Quran uses the word wahy in various contexts, typically categorized as:
Creational laws (Fussilat, 41:12),
Instinctive perception (An-Nahl, 16:68),
Heartfelt inspiration (Al-Qasas, 28:7),
Satanic whispers (Al-An’am, 6:21),
Prophetic revelation (Al-An’am, 6:19).
As evident in these Quranic verses, the recipient of wahy possesses an innate awareness of its source and nature [2]. This process may not be feasible without a relatively high level of perceptual and self-aware capacity in the recipient. Consequently, wahy is not regarded as a universal communicative method. Moreover, its purpose is invariably to transmit a message that enables the recipient to accomplish a task beyond their inherent abilities. In other words, despite possessing considerable perceptual capacity, the recipient must set aside their own optimal solution and act upon the revealed guidance. This characteristic in humans and animals may fall within the domain of cognitive sciences under the framework of cognitive flexibility.
The wahy to the honeybee—the sole instance mentioned for animals—exemplifies instinctive perception. In Surah An-Nahl (16:68), Allah describes how the honeybee’s behaviors related to hive construction, food selection, and navigation are divinely inspired. A narration attributed to Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (AS) interprets this wahy as a form of ilham (inspiration) [3, 4], often equated with innate instinct. Yet, could the honeybee possess unique cognitive traits that, when studied, provide deeper insights into cognitive mechanisms?
Cognition in Honeybees: Beyond Instinct
Cognition, defined as the ability to acquire, process, store, and utilize information, is essential for animal survival [5]. Honeybees, like other animals, exhibit cognitive abilities in foraging, brood care, nest-building, social interaction, and navigation. Despite their minuscule brains, recent research reveals that honeybees are intelligent, innovative, and even creative. Key findings demonstrate that they:
Comprehend the concept of zero [6, 7],
Perform basic arithmetic [8],
Recognize human faces (and likely those of other bees) [9],
Experience happiness after successful foraging [10],
Endure distressing emotional states when trapped in spiderwebs,
Engage in play-like activities for enjoyment [11].
A research team led by Prof. Lars Chittka has pioneered studies on honeybee cognition, communication, and sensory physiology. Their 2023 work proved that certain intra-colony interactions and concept transmissions require social learning rather than innate instinct [12, 13]. Bees must observe mature bees’ “waggle dances” to perform them accurately; otherwise, errors occur. This behavior—once thought exclusive to humans—shows that bees learn through observation. For instance, they can solve a two-step puzzle by mimicking others, even if unable to solve it independently [14–16]. No prior study had documented social learning in invertebrates. These findings suggest the existence of culture in these small creatures, with social learning as its foundation [10].
Similarly, Randolf Menzel has focused on honeybee memory, learning, and cognition, proposing their brains as miniature models for understanding human perception [17]. While researchers do not claim honeybee brains rival humans’, their distinct cognitive traits—unmatched by other insects—are undeniable.
Cognitive Flexibility in Animals
Cognitive flexibility refers to an animal’s capacity for continuous learning (even under changing conditions) and purposeful behavioral adaptation [18]. This ability to switch between solutions, rooted in cognitive traits, enables organisms to respond to predictable and unpredictable environmental shifts across varying timescales. While evolution and experience shape rigid adaptations, they cannot equip organisms to cope with novel events. Here, learning processes introduce flexibility, allowing animals to adapt within their lifespans. Without learning, animals risk poor decision-making.
However, many responses are innate and require no learning. Cognitive flexibility determines whether such responses can be modified. For example, ants typically follow innate pheromone trails. In a study on Lasius niger ants, despite negative stimuli on their innate trail and positive alternatives elsewhere, they failed to flexibly adopt more efficient foraging strategies [19]. This suggests cognitive flexibility varies widely among species and is not strictly tied to nervous system size. Empirical and theoretical work confirms that complex learning can occur in small neural systems, with minor circuit changes yielding significant cognitive and behavioral shifts [20].
Honeybees: A Paradigm of Flexibility
Unlike ants—which share similar size and brain structure but exhibit low flexibility—honeybees are a natural exemplar of cognitive flexibility, linked to memory, learning, and experience [21]. Studies show that colony size, bee population, and body size do not impair their learning capacity (despite reduced social interactions or malnutrition) [22]. Bumblebees learn social cues and floral signals, evaluate their reliability, and assign differential values to them [23]. They use this system to refine choices over 4-, 8-, and 24-hour periods [24] and even tolerate greater pain for higher food rewards [25]. They also learn from others’ prior foraging experiences, adopting or avoiding observed methods [26].
These traits reflect varying flexibility levels. Honeybees excel in tasks unlikely to occur naturally, as their intelligence aids in navigating unpredictable challenges. Loukola et al. (2017) demonstrated unprecedented flexibility: bees learned novel behaviors by observing peers and devised more efficient solutions to puzzles under ecological pressures [27]. Recent studies highlight this flexibility, but is it their core trait or part of a broader capability? Is it linked to numerical processing or learning?
Evidence suggests significant correlations between cognitive flexibility and other cognitive, communicative, emotional, and sensory traits. For instance, humans with lower flexibility exhibit higher anxiety, depression, and impulsivity [28]. Another study found that students with greater flexibility (controlling for IQ, attention, and memory) outperformed in mathematical tasks [29]. The following sections further explore these connections.
3. Research Methodology
3-1. Methodology of the Religious and Quranic Research Component:
This study draws upon verses 68 and 69 of Surah An-Nahl, consulting authoritative exegeses including Tafsir al-Mizan, Tafsir Nemouneh, Al-Amthal fi Tafsir Kitab Allah al-Munzal, Al-Tibyan fi Tafsir al-Quran, Majma’ al-Bayan, among others. Key phrases from these verses that warranted deeper investigation were identified, with particular attention to strategic national research priorities and the research team’s expertise. While the primary focus remains on the phrase “wa awḥā” (“and He inspired”), other significant expressions such as “ittakhidhī” (“take”), “dhululan” (“submissive”), and “liqawmin yatafakkarūn” (“for people who think”) were also carefully considered.
3-2. Methodology of the Scientific Research Component:
A systematic literature review was conducted in Science Direct (2012-2024) using keywords including Honeybee, Cognition, Learning, Memory, and Consciousness. The search targeted high-impact journals (Impact Factor >5) such as Nature and Science, along with specialized entomological and cognitive science publications. Selected studies were prioritized based on their direct relevance to the research questions.
4. Results and Discussion
This observational study comprehensively analyzed landmark honeybee research from recent years, categorizing findings according to thematic interpretations of Surah An-Nahl 68-69. The review suggests two primary research directions:
Cognitive Features and Neuroanatomy: Identified as a priority research area requiring further investigation into honeybee brain structures.
Cognitive Flexibility: Demonstrated significant correlations with honeybee cognitive capacities, analyzed through five key dimensions:
4-1. Cognitive Flexibility and Quantitative Processing Capacity
Honeybees exhibit numerical competence including quantity perception, sequencing, counting, and basic arithmetic [30]. Remarkably, they employ this capacity not merely as a solution mechanism but as an analytical framework [30], integrating it with navigation to create cognitive maps of their environment [31]. Studies suggest their superior quantitative processing may synergize with high cognitive flexibility to solve complex problems [29].
4-2. Cognitive Flexibility and Emotional State Experience
Emotional states – including happiness, sadness, anxiety, depression, and fear – have been documented in honeybees [32]. High cognitive flexibility facilitates adaptive responses to emotional stimuli: positive states enhance flexibility through increased openness to new information [33], while negative states like anxiety reduce cognitive adaptability [32]. These dynamics mirror findings in human affective neuroscience.
4-3. Cognitive Flexibility and Social Learning
Honeybees demonstrate exceptional observational learning capacities, recently recognized as foundational for cultural transmission in their societies [12,13]. Their cognitive flexibility manifests during social learning, where they not only acquire behaviors but optimize their execution through innovative modifications. This evidences a robust interaction between social learning and cognitive flexibility.
4-4. Informational Memory vs. Cognitive Flexibility
The honeybee’s sophisticated memory systems – encoding numerical information, conspecific recognition, puzzle solutions, and navigational routes – present an intriguing tension with cognitive flexibility. Neurobiological models suggest competition between memory-related hippocampal processing and flexibility-associated prefrontal functions [18]. In novel environments, flexibility dominates, whereas stable contexts favor memory reliance – a dynamic potentially mediated by cognitive control systems.
4-5. Cognitive Flexibility and Metacognitive Features
The debate regarding metacognition in invertebrates remains unresolved. While some researchers argue for insect consciousness based on cognitive complexity [35-42], others attribute these capacities to sophisticated neural programming without necessitating awareness [43-45]. Harbur (2024) notes that human higher cognition typically requires consciousness, raising questions about how these processes might operate in honeybees’ miniature brains (~1 million neurons vs. ~100 billion in humans) [46].
4-6. Cognitive Control and Its Relationship with Cognitive Features
Cognitive control – the capacity to regulate mental processes toward specific goals [47] – may resolve conflicts between competing cognitive demands in honeybees. As they balance memory utilization against flexible adaptation, cognitive control likely mediates resource allocation between these systems [18]. Preliminary evidence suggests honeybees possess significant cognitive control capacities warranting further study.
“Honeybees demonstrate advanced cognitive abilities – including social learning, quantitative processing, and cognitive control – that align remarkably with Quranic descriptions of divine inspiration (“waḥy”). These findings necessitate reconsideration of instinct and intelligence definitions in animal cognition studies.”
5. Conclusion and Future Research Directions
Cognition, awareness, and flexibility in honeybees have emerged as a priority research area in animal cognitive sciences in recent years. Furthermore, the relationship between these factors and their mutual influence has been the subject of numerous studies. Additionally, the ability to manage, select, and direct cognitive and mental processes—termed “cognitive control”—was not initially considered a primary objective of this study. However, evidence suggests that honeybees possess significant cognitive control, warranting further investigation in future research.
The findings of this scientific review reveal that all examined studies were published in English and conducted on European and American honeybee species. Although foundational research in this field was published between 2009 and 2014, the topic gained prominence as a leading area of study worldwide between 2018 and 2024. Remarkable discoveries regarding honeybee cognitive capacities have been published in high-impact scientific journals, generating substantial engagement from both specialized and general audiences.
To advance this field, a more comprehensive scientific review should first be conducted to examine the cognitive architecture of honeybees. Accordingly, the following research groups are recommended for future collaborative studies:
Professor Lars Chittka’s Laboratory Research Group – A leading team in this field, responsible for groundbreaking studies such as “Honeybees Play” and “Honeybees Learn,” which gained widespread attention in both academic circles and social media.
Professor Randolf Menzel – A pioneer in research on learning, memory, and cognitive perception in honeybees, proposing their cognitive system as a model for understanding cognition in other organisms.
Dr. Scarlett Howard and Colleagues – Specializing in numerical cognition and basic arithmetic abilities in honeybees.
These research groups are proposed as key collaborators for future investigations into the suggested research directions. Each of these domains requires years of dedicated study, but the present research aims to provide a systematic review of global scientific focus on these experimental areas.
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