Abou Ben Adhem Summary ICSE Class 10 English

Abou Ben Adhem (Summary)

The poem ‘Abou Ben Adhem’ is written by the renowned English poet, essayist and writer, Leigh Hunt. He claims that true worship to God means doing acts of services and love towards his fellow men. From a French book, the title of this poem was taken. It is based on the spirit of brotherhood. Abou was declared as a saint after his death and was a pious man. He decided to teach and serve God’s fellowmen after giving up the luxurious life he was having. He devoted himself entirely to God. He was a Sufi mystic of the eight century. He helped him greatly and was their leader.

Summary of Abou Ben Adhem by Leigh Hunt

In the very first stanza of the poem, we see that a divine visitor has come into the room of Abou Ben Adhem. In the first line, he mentions ‘may his tribe increase’ which indicates that he wishes his tribe to grow and prosper under God and his teachings.

One night, he was having a peaceful dream. Suddenly he awoke from his sleep. An angel came to his room and his room was filled with moonlight. It looked like a blooming lily. The room was looking lively and luminous by the angel’s presence. Abou felt some positivity after he saw the angel in his room. The angel was writing something in a book for Abou. That book is referred to as the ‘book of gold’ and contains names of people who love God.

A person in a similar situation as Abou would be scared. But Abou was not. This shows that one does not fear if one has not done anything wrong or sin. He asked the angel what he had been writing in the book. Angel’s presence indicates that everything will be good as they are of calm nature. After looking at Abou’s kind and charming expression,the angel answered that he was noting the names of the ones who loved God. Abou was curious to know whether his name was there or not. He asked the angel. The angel replied that his name was not included in this list. This disheartened Abou as he expected his name to be there. Not losing any hope, Abou requested the angel in a cheerful way to include his name in the list of people who love their fellow men. Abou regarded it as a divine deed to love fellowmen created by God.

The next night, the angel reappeared with luminous light. Abou was awakened by it. The angel showed About the list of the people who were loved and blessed by God. The list was leading with Abou’s name. This showed that his work for his followed is considered by God and he was God’s most favourite. It surprised him but also rewarded him. This shows that prayers never go in vain. This exactly happened with Abou. His name in the list shows his love for his brothers. His good deeds towards mankind are acknowledged by God.