Abou Ben Adhem

About the poem

‘Abou Ben Adhem‘ by James Henry Leigh Hunt (1784 - 1859) is a literary gem based on the spirit of
Fraternity. First published in The Amulet (1834) by S.C Hall, the poem is Hunt’s rendering of a divine
encounter between an angel and the Sufi mystic, Ibrahim Bin Adham.

This is a narrative poem, where Hunt uses the storytelling technique to convey a profound reflection —
Loving one’s fellowmen is perhaps more virtuous, if not at par, with loving the Almighty Himself.

Incidentally, the poem draws from Arabian lore, where in the Islamic month of Nous Sha’aban, God
takes the golden book of mankind and chooses those dear to Him
who He will call in the coming year. Thus indirectly, this is also a poem about a ‘blessed death’. It is a
fitting tribute then, that the verse “Write me as one who loves his fellow men” came to be used in
Hunt’s epitaph.

The legend of ‘Abou Ben Adhem’, was picked up by Hunt from a French book, the Bibliothèque
Orientale (1697). Hunt’s choice of subject and setting –an Arabian tale with idealistic and supernatural
overtones – is an example of Romantic Orientalism. Against this backdrop, the otherworldly quality of
the poem is enhanced.

Hunt added more flavor to context by employing an archaic style of writing here. The speech style of
the characters – “What writest thou?”; “Nay, not so.” – lends to the ‘old world’ feel of the poem.
Another aspect is Hunt’s practice of using an apostrophe to omit a vowel that does not have a sound
– rais’d; answer’d; vanish’d.

This is an early English practice that hails from the 16th century. As a reader, you can feel that this is a
tale from yore.
‘Abou Ben Adhem’ is structured into two stanzas of nine couplets. Couplets are two consecutive lines
that rhyme.

Here, the couplets are ‘closed’ – i.e. they end with punctuation. While the poem is metrically flexible, it
essentially displays an iambic pentameter style. Here,
each line comprises of five iambic feet where an iamb refers to an unstressed syllable followed by a
stressed syllable.

• Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What is meant by 'may his tribe increase'?
Answer 1.
His tribe' refers to people who treated Abou Ben Adhem as their spiritual leader. He was an epitome of
goodness and
righteousness. They embraced his teachings based on great ideals and values. He worked for human
welfare and served others teaching them to live in peace and harmony. The phrase 'may his tribe
increase implies the progress and development of these
people should grow.
Question 2.
What happened one night? What did Abou Ben Adhem see?
Answer 2.
One night when Abou Ben Adhem was in a deep dream of peace, he was suddenly awakened. He saw
that his room was
illuminated with moonlight. He also observed that there was an angel sitting in this bright light. The
angel was writing something in the book of gold.

Question 3.
What was the angel doing? How did he look?
Answer 3.
The angel appeared in Adhen's room one night. The room was filled with bright moonlight. The angel
was writing something in a book of gold. There was a pleasant and illuminated atmosphere in the
room. It looked like a lily blooming in an affluent environment.

Question 4.
What was Adhem's request?
Answer 4.
When Adhem learned that his name was not on the list of people who loved God, he was slightly
disheartened. He did not lose hope and requested the angel to mention his name in the list of those
who loved their fellow beings. He did so because he wanted to reach the Almighty and he knew that
his deeds would help him do so.

Question 5.
When and why did the angel appear again?
Answer 5.
The angel reappeared the following night. This time the angel had a light that was so bright that the
poet describes it as 'great wakening. It woke Adhem and the angel showed him the list of people who
were loved by God.

Question 6.
Where and how did Adhem lead the others on the list?
Answer 6.
The next day the angel reappeared and this time showed the names of those whom God had blessed.
Abou's name was now above all the other names on the list. God loves those who love all other human
beings. Abou loved and served his fellow beings. Thus, his name appeared at the topmost position on
that list.

Question 7.
Name and explain the figures of speech:
(a)Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom
Answer 7(a).
Simile
Direct comparison is made. The room's brightness is compared with the brightness of a blooming lily.

(b)Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace.

Answer 7(b).
Alliteration
The sound of the consonant 'd' is repeated for greater poetic effect.

Question 8.
How many lists were brought by the angel? What did they comprise?
Answer 8.
The angel brought two lists to Abou Ben Adhem on two occasions. The first list had the narmes of
people who loved God, and the second list had the names of people who were loved by God. Abou Ben
Adhem's name was not on the first list, but due to his lovefor humans, he was at the first place on the
second list. Both lists were honourable, but being loved by God is a greater privilege than
loving God.

•Long Answer Question

Question 1.
As per the poem 'Abou Ben Adhen', what is true devotion to God?
Answer 1.
The poem 'Abou Ben Adhem depicts that true devotion to God is found in love for one's neighbour. It is
only when you love your fellow men, you become worthy to be loved by God. This poem is a
celebration of humanistic ideals. Abou is a simple soul. On realising that his name is not on the list of
those who love God, he tells the angel that he loves his fellow men. The twist in the story takes place
the next night when the angel returns with another list having the names of those who have been
blessed by the love of God. Abou's name topped the list of those who were loved by God. This reveals
that love towards fellow human beings is the best
means to receive the blessings of God. The theme of this poem is true devotion to God.

Question 2.
What moral can be extracted from this poem?
Answer 2.
Abou Ben Adhem reminds us of Christ's answer to the lawyer who wanted to know the greatest of
God's commandments.
Christ commanded the Jews to love God with their whole heart and to love fellow human beings like
themselves. This poem is with regards to the second commandment. It beautifully sheds light on the
principle of loving fellow men. It also reiterates the fact that we cannot claim the love of God, whom
we can't see, if we don't love our fellow men whom we can see. It has a moral that God loves
those who love their fellow men. It is relevant in today's time as people are losing the human touch
and lack empathy and compassion for each other.

Question 3.
Explain the element of supernaturalism used in the poem.
Answer 3.
The term supernatural refers to something above reason which cannot be explained by science or the
laws of nature. It can be
seen as relating to God, spirit, guardian angels and other supernatural beings. The poem also has
mystical references. The use of certain phrases like 'deep dream of peace, lily in bloom, 'book of gold',
'the presence in the room, 'the vision' and great wakening light' adds to the supernatural quality of the
poem. Abou Ben Adhem's room lit up like a lily in bloom-the moonlight brightening the
room, the angel writing in a book of gold, the vision with a sweet face of kindness and the angel
coming again with a great wakeninglight seem magical and unbelievable. Thus, the episode is beyond
earthly life and can be seen as belonging to the realm of the Supernatural.

Question 4.
Does the angel justify the description given around it?
Answer 4.
In the poem 'Abou Ben Adhem, the poet has created a spiritual theme where Abou has an encounter
with an angel one night.
The poet describes the angel to be a divine messenger. Abou's room was full of bright light because of
the angel's presence and its face has an unparalleled sweetness. It seems to have been sent by God
to test Abou. When Abou asked the angel a question, his face has a look of kind and sweet accord.
The angel in Abou's room had a book of gold in its hand. The book contained the names of
people who loved God.
The poet has maintained a very positive feeling about the angel throughout the poem. The
atmosphere around it also justifies the same.

Question 5.
What kind of person was Abou Ben Adhem? Describe his character with an example.
Answer 5.
Abou Ben Adhem was a pious and god-fearing person. He was a noble, selfless and virtuous man who
always thought about the well-being of others. The number of noble, selfless and virtuous people like
Abou Ben Adhem should increase in this selfish and wicked world.
Initially, he was saddened by the fact that his name was not included in the list of people who loved
the Almighty. He, however, knew that the way to reach Gods heart was by serving mankind. He,
therefore, requested to be mentioned in the list of people who loved all men created by God.
It was a matter of delight for Abou to see that his name led the list of those whom God blessed with
his love and affection. It
satisfied him to have received the love of God although his name was not on the list of those who had
loved the Lord.

Question 6.
Was Abou Ben Adhem frightened to see the angel? Why?
Answer 6.
One night when Adhem was awakened from a deep dream of peace, he saw that his room was filled
with moonlight making it appear rich and bright like a lily in bloom. He also saw an angel writing
something in a book of gold. A deep dream of peace shows his meditative state of mind. Adhem was
not scared. This is the poet's way of conveying that if one has not done any wrong or has
never committed a sin, then there is no place for any fear.
The exceeding peace Abou felt within him and the calm presence of the angel made him bold enough
to ask him a question. He asked the vision what it was writing in the book of gold. The angel said he
was writing the names of people who loved the Lord.

Question 7.
What is the significance of 'the book of gold?
Answer 7.
One night when Ben Adhern was awakened from a deep dream of peace, he saw that his room was
filled with moonlight making it appear rich and bright like a lily in bloom. He also saw an angel writing
something in a book of gold The book of gold' is an aspect of supernaturalism because it comprised a
list which contained the names of people who loved God. The book of gold may have pages and a
binding of gold to symbolise a divine book held by an angel as well as the godliness of people who
love the Lord.

Question 8.
Why was Adhem not happy with the angel's reply? What did Adhem ask him to do?
Answer 8.
Abou felt a little bit low and was shocked on knowing that his name was not among those who loved
God. He wasn't depressed or disappointed as he cheerfully and humbly requested the angel to write
his name in the list of people who love their fellow men. He
expected his name to be in the book of gold which contained the names of the ones who loved the
Lord. So, the angel agreed to write his name. The following night, the vision appeared in Ben Adhem's
room with a great wakening light and showed him the names of those whom God had blessed with his
love and affection. To his surprise, his name led all the rest.