Abou Ben Adhem

By Leigh Hunt

Figures of Speech
1. The poem is a parable in verse. A parable is a short story used to
illustrate moral or spiritual lessons as told by Jesus Christ in the
Gospels. The poem gives us the message that God loves those
who love their fellow men.
2. The rhyming scheme used is aabbcc. This poem is written in a
couplet form
3. Alliteration - It is the close repetition of consonant sounds usually
at the beginning of words. For eg- Awoke one night from a deep
dream of peace, Answered, “The names of those who love the
Lord”

Questions & Answers

1. Who was Abou Ben Adhem? What is meant by ‘may his tribe
increase’? What is the attitude of the narrator to Abou Ben Adhem
Ans. Abou Ben Adham, whose real name was Ibrahim ibn Adham, was a
ruler of Balkh. He lived a noble life. He is one of the early ascetic Sufi
saints. He dedicated his life to the service of his humanity. By 'may his
tribe increase' the poet prays to God that men like Abou may increase.
The narrator admires and respects Abou Ben Adhem. He admires him
so much that he wants more people like Ben Adhem. He also holds
Abou in high esteem.

2. Explain the meaning of “deep dream of peace”. How could Abou

have peace?
Asn. Abou was a man of clean conscience. He had no enemies ans was
pious. He was a saintly man, and so he always had a peaceful, and
undisturbed sleep. The phrase "deep dream of peace" means a real
peaceful dream or could also be a reference to a deep meditative state.
He is at peace as he loves and serves his fellowmen.
 3. Describe the effect of moonlight in Abou’s room? Why is moonlight
compared to a lily in bloom?
Ans. The bright silvery moonlight in Abou's room on a peaceful night had
a magical effect. The room appeared rich and calm. The comparison is
made to reflect the similarities between the blossoming lily and the
sparkling moonlight. The flower and the moonlight both are natural,
beautiful, and pleasing to the eyes. They fill one with peace and are
symbols of purity and radiance.

4. What does Abou Ben Adhem encounter upon awakening? Give

the significance of the book of gold.
Ans. When Abou wakes up, he finds an angel writing something in "a
book of gold". In the presence of the angler, the room was brightly lit.
The "book of gold" is significant as it adds to the magical and
supernatural quality of the poem. Moreover gold could also be a symbol
of purity for the matter of the book. It symbolises its richness and the
great value placed on its contents. The angel was writing the names of
people who love God. So, this is not an ordinary book, but a divine one
where everyone craves to place his name.

5. What is referred to as the presence in the above extract? What

does Abou say to the presence?
Ans. The presence in the above extract is referred to as the angel who
woke up Abou from his "deep dream of peace". The calmness of the
room and the nonchalant actions of the angel present there made Abou
bold to satisfy his curiosity. Abou asked the presence in his room, what
was she writing in the golden book.

6. What is the vision referred to here? Why does it raise its head?
Ans. The vision here refers to an Angel or could be Abou's supernatural
vision who entered his home when he was in his deep dream of peace.
The vision raises its head to answer Abou's query about what he was
writing in his book of gold.

7. What does the angel tell Abou Ben Adhem in the above extract?
What does Abou curiously ask the angel? What makes Abou low?
Ans. The angel tells Abou that he is writing in his book, the names of
those who loved the Lord. Abou curiously asks the angel if his name was
written among those who love God. The angel replied to him in a
negative way which made Abou feel low.

8. Did Abou feel disheartened at the angel’s reply? Which words tells
you so? What does Abou request the angel to do?
Ans. No, Abou was not disheartened at all in the angel's reply that his
name was not written on the list. Rather he was confident enough that
he also deserved a place in the list for his love of man. That is why he
made a polite request to the angel to write his name as the one who
loves his fellow-men. This reveals his character as a compassionate and
caring individual. He values love for humanity just as much as love for
the Lord. His request shows that he believes that love for fellow human
beings is a significant and noble aspect of one's relationship with the
divine.

9. What did the angel write? Describe what happened the night after
the angel vanished?
Ans. The angel might have written Abou's name as the one who loves
his fellow men. The angel wrote and vanished. The next night, the angel
came again with a great amount of light and woke Abou. The angel
showed him the names of those who had been blessed by God. Abou
Ben Adhem saw that his name appeared on the top of the list ahead of
others.

10. Briefly give a character sketch of Abou Ben Adhem.

Ans. Abou Ben Adhem was a pure and simple man. He lived on
humanistic ideals. Abou Ben Adhem was not strictly a religious man. He
did not worship God. He is the epitome of the idea that when you love
your fellow men, you become worthy to be blessed by God. Moreover,
he was a positive man. On realising that his name was not there on the
list of men who love the Lord, he was not disheartened but cheerfully
asked the angel to write his name as the one who loves his fellow men.

11. What did the angel show Abou? How can you look at the extract
as the climax in the poem?
Ans. The angel shows Abou the names of the people who had been
blessed by God. The last four lines of the poem can be seen as the
climax. The angel writes that Abou loves his fellow men and vanishes.
To everybody's surprise, the angel appears again the next night and with
a new set of names of the people who have been blessed by God. The
word 'lo' adds to the climax. The poet says, "And lo! Ben Adhem's name
led all the rest".

12. On the basis of the above extract, bring out the main theme of
the poem.
Ans. The poem, Abou Ben Adhem, depicts that true devotion to God is
found in love for one's neighbor. It is only when you love your fellow
men, you become worthy to be loved by God. The poem is a celebration
of humanistic ideals. The poem brings out the message that love for
one's fellow men matters greatly; those who love their fellow men, love
God.