ADAB

Compiled by Ibrahim Gamard, 1/13/00

Dictionary definitions:

Root meaning: to prepare a banquet, invite to a meal

General meanings: politeness, courtesy, good manners, refined manners, goodbreeding, respect, reverence; correct behavior, proper conduct, modest behavior;being courteous, polite; discipline, correction, chastisement; the scienceof polite learning; culture of mind, literature, literary pursuits.

Meaning in sufism: modes of conduct and discipline of the dervishes towardstheir shaykh, toward each other, and toward other people in general.

"Adab is an acquired habit in someone who holds back from ugly behaviors.In other words, he makes himself refined, polite and purified, and he makeshis morals agreeable.... This word, in the terminology of the mystic knowers[`aarif-aan], is derived from the noble verse [of the Qur'an], "And keepto the limits set by God" [wa 'l-HaafiZuuna li-Huduudi 'llaah-- 9:112]. And"limits" is an expression concerning the Divine commands and prohibitions,which are either required, recommended, forbidden, or disapproved of [byIslamic Law]. And dab is always attending to what is regrettable and mayfollow disapproved actions. And the expression 'dab' is considering the limitsof each person in relation to that person. And it is derived [also] fromthe Prophetic Tradition in which he said, 'My Lord taught me refined manners,so my manners are beautiful!' For the limits of God and of people were(certainly) well taught by him. And beautiful manners is a quality of thefriends [aHbaab] (of God)." --Say Ja`far's Dictionary (translated from thePersian by Ibrahim Gamard)

"The essence of Sufism is Islam, and the essence of Islam is true sinceritywith God. The quintessence of sincerity is surrender, inward serenity, andobedience to the Beloved. A Muslim is one of moderation, integrity, friendship,and good deeds. His heart is in constant remembrance of the Beloved, andhis tongue is in the service of the Beloved. Awaiting His command, his eyesare fixed upon the path of the Beloved. This blessing can by no means becomepossible except by observing the rules and manners of the Spiritual Path(tariqat) of which the adab of the Khaniqah is one part. As it is sometimessaid: 'The whole of sufism is adab'" [at-tasawwuf kullu-hu aadaab]. --JavadNurbakhsh, "In the Tavern of Ruin," p. 67

"In sufi terminology, courtesy (adab) is for the adept to observe his dutiesin words, acts, and states, and to maintain his own limits in every station,both with God and His creatures, inwardly and outwardly. To observe outwardcourtesy is required in the state of awareness and sobriety, but when thereins of free choice have left the sufi's hand and heart in the state ofintoxication, he cannot be expected to observe it. As Rumi says in the famousstory of Moses and the shepherd, 'O Moses, those who know courtesy's rulesare one thing, those whose spirits and souls burn are something else.' (MasnaviII: 1764).... Some have held that in the circles of the people of heart,one must observe inward courtesy, but not the outward kind. This is not correct.It is true that Rumi has written the following: 'Before the people of heart,courtesy is shown inwardly, for their hearts are aware of secret thoughts.'(Masnavi II: 3220) But Rumi means that it is not sufficient to observe onlyoutward courtesy before the masters of the Path; on the contrary, there mustbe inward courtesy as well.... "Step not into the Tavern of Ruin withoutcourtesy-- its inhabitants are the confidants of the King!' (H,fez) 'O traveleron the Path, if you have news of God's secret, show courtesy to the beggarsin the tavern!' (H,fez) ....Since every word, act, and state in every timeand station has a special courtesy, it is impossible to enumerate all courtesy'srules. Here we have tried to record certain words of the masters, each ofwhich was uttered in specific circumstances, so that, through the whole,the way and method of sufi courtesy can be understood. We also cite the followingline of Rumi to show that the acts of courtesy of the darvishes are not concoctedbut rather intuited: 'The spirit learns a thousand kinds of courtesy fromlove, a courtesy not to be found in schools.'" --Javad Nurbakhsh, "The Gnosisof the Sufis," Volume IV, pp. 139-140, 144 (translated from Persian by WilliamChittick) [NOTE: this is an authentic verse of Mevlana's, from his Divan,Ode 232, line 2608]

"Courtesy is to interact with God and to rise above [bodily] water and clayand the frivolity of the nafs. You do not say, 'I and my deeds,' but 'Heand His favor and His giving success.'" (Ans,ri, Tabaq,t as-Sufiya, 358)"`Abdo'll,h ebn Mob,rak said, 'People have multiplied their acts of courtesy,but we maintain that courtesy is the knowledge of the nafs.' He means thatthe reason a person refrains from courtesy is ignorance, while the sourceof ignorance is the nafs. Whoever trains the nafs through knowledge becomescourteous." (K,sh,ni, Mesb,hu 'l-Hedaya, 207) "The word adab ('courtesy')expresses the beautification of moral traits (akhlaaq) and the refinementof words and acts. Acts are of two kinds: acts of the heart, which are knownas intentions (niyaat), and acts of the bodily frame, which are known asactions (a`maal). Moral traits and intentions pertain to the inward, wordsand acts to the outward. Hence that person observes perfect courtesy whoseoutward and inward are adorned with the beautiful qualities of moral traits,words, intentions, and actions. His moral traits accord with his words, andhis intentions conform to his actions. As he appears, he is, and as he is,he appears." (K,sh,ni, Mesb,hu 'l-Hedaya, 203) "Abu `Ali Daqq,q said, 'Throughhis obedience the servant will reach the Garden, and through his courtesyin obedience, he will reach God.'" (K,sh,ni, Mesb,hu 'l-Hedaya, 207) "`Abdo'llIahebn Mob,rak said, 'Courtesy in service is more precious than service.'" (K,sh,ni,Mesb,hu 'l-Hedaya, 207) "Anas ebn M,lek said, 'Courtesy in an action is thesign that the action has been accepted [by God].'" (K,sh,ni, Mesb,hu 'l-Hedaya,207) "Abu ¿li Daqq,q said, 'Refraining from courtesy is a tree whosefruit is expulsion. Whoever shows discourtesy on the carpet of kings is sentback to the gate, and whoever shows discourtesy at the gate is sent out tothe stables.'" (Att,r, Tadhkeratu 'l-Auli,', 653) "Abo'l-Q,sem Nasr,b,disaid, 'If someone does not have courtesy of the soul, he cannot reach courtesyof the heart. And if someone does not have courtesy of the heart, how canhe reach courtesy of the spirit? And if he does not have courtesy of thespirit, how can he reach the locus of nearness to God? Indeed, how is itpossible that God's carpet should be turned over to him? That is, unlesshe should have gained the different kinds of courtesy and be trustworthyboth secretly and openly.'" (Attaar, Tadhkeratu 'l-Auli,', 792) "Courtesyis knowledge of that which will put you on your guard against every kindof offense." (Jorjani, at-Ta`rif,t) --compiled by Javad Nurbakhsh, "The Gnosisof the Sufis," Volume IV, pp. 145-149 (translated from Persian by WilliamChittick)

"The master Abu 'Ali ad-Daqqaq (may God grant him mercy) said, 'The servantreaches Paradise by obeying God. He reaches God by observing correct behaviorin obeying Him.' ....Ibn `Ata' said, 'Correct behavior means that you areoccupied with commendable things.' Someone asked, 'What do you mean by this?'He replied, 'This means that you observe correct behavior with God both inwardlyand outwardly. If you conduct yourself in this way, you will have correctbehavior, even if your speech is not that of an Arab.'.... The master Abu`Ali ad-Daqqaq (may God grant him mercy) declared, 'Abandoning correct behaviorresults in expulsion. One who is ill-mannered in the courtyard will be sentback to the gate. One who is ill-mannered at the gate will be sent to watchover the animals.' Someone said to al-Hasan al-Basri [died, 728], 'So muchhas been said concerning the various sciences of correct behavior. Whichof them are most beneficial in the world and most effective for [gaininga goodly reward in] the Hereafter?' he replied, 'Learning religion, moderationin the world, and knowledge of what constitutes your duty toward God [Gloriousand majestic].' Yahya b. Mu`adh said, 'One who is well versed in correctbehavior toward God Most High will become one of those God loves.' Sahl[at-Tostari] observed, 'The sufis are those who ask God's help in [carryingout] His commands and who steadfastly observe correct behavior toward Him.'Ibn al-Mubarak said, 'We stand more in need of a small amount of correctbehavior than a great deal of knowledge.' He also said, 'We sought the knowledgeof correct behavior after those who taught it had passed away.' It is related,'There are three things that will never make one feel a stranger [in a place]:avoiding corrupt people, displaying correct behavior, and refraining fromcausing harm to others.'.... When Abu Hafs arrived in Baghdad, al-Junaydtold him, 'You have instructed your companions in the manners of sultans!'Abu Hafs replied, 'Displaying refined manners on the outside is a token ofrefined manners on the inside.' Abdallah b. al-Mubarak said, 'Observing correctbehavior is to the gnostic [`aarif] what repentance is to the novice.' Mansurb. Khalaf al-Maghribi related, 'Someone said to a Sufi, "What poor mannersyou have!" He retorted, "I do not have poor manners." The man asked, "Whotaught you manners?" The Sufi said, "The Sufis."' Abu'n-Nasr at-Tusi as-Sarrajobserved, "People can be divided into three categories with respect to correctbehavior: The people of this world are concerned with refinement of and correctbehavior in using Arabic, with style and memorization of the sciences, withnames of dynasties, and with Arabic poetry. The people of religion are concernedwith training the soul, instructing man's outer faculties, observing thelimits set by God, and abandoning passions. The elect are concerned withcleansing the heart, guarding the secrets, being faithful to oaths, holdingto the present moment, stopping attention to stray thoughts, and having correctbehavior at times of requesting when in the divine presence, and in the stationsof nearness.' It is related that Sahl b. `Abdallah stated, 'He who subdueshis soul with correct behavior worships God sincerely.' It is said, 'Perfectionin correct behavior is reached only by the prophets and the veracious.'"--Al Qushayri (died, 1072), Ris,la, translated by B.R. Von Schlegell as"Principles of Sufism," pp. 308-312

"The method [Tariiq] of spiritual purification is to reflect and meditateon the misfortunes and calamities of this world, which is a dwelling of deceitand a place which is transient [fanaa]. And the heart will not become emptyof it except by a great amount of struggle against the ego [mujaahadat].And the most important of struggles against ego is the observance of theexternal rules of respectful courtesy and discipline [aadaab-i Zaahir] withperseverance in all situations. It is related that Ibr·hÌmKhaww·s said: 'I need to have an everlasting life in the world fromGod Most High, so that while mankind are preoccupied with (gaining) the pleasuresand comforts of Paradise and forget to serve God, I may observe the disciplinesof religion [aadaab-i sharii`at] amidst the trials and afflictions of theworld and remember God.'" --al-HujwÓrÓ (died, 1072), Kashfu'l-Mahj,b, translated by R.A. Nicholson (1911), p. 292, and revised fromthe Persian text by Ibrahim Gamard

"The Apostle said: 'Good manners are a part of faith' [Husnu 'l-adab minal-iimaan]. And he also said: 'My Lord corrected me [addaba-niy rabb-iy]and gave me excellent correction.' You should know that the beautificationand adornment of all worldly matters depends on rules of discipline [aadaab],and that there is a particular rule of discipline for every station [maqaam]among the stations of mankind. And all people-- among the believers, unbelievers,and so on-- are agreed upon (the virtue of) good manners [adab] in behavingwith excellence. And there is no custom in the world which is not foundedupon the practice of manners [adab]. Among men, good manners [aadaab] consistin the observance of virtue [muruwwat]; as regards religion, they consistin the observance of the conduct [sunnah] (of the Prophet); as regards love[muHabbat], they consist in the observance of respect [hurmat]. These threecategories are connected with each other, because whoever is not virtuousis not following the conduct (of the Prophet), and whoever is not attendingto (following) the conduct (of the Prophet) is not observing due respect.In matters of conduct, the observance of discipline is gained by reverencein the heart for the object of desire; and reverence for God and His ordinancesis from reverential awe [taqw,]. Whoever disrespectfully tramples on thereverence due to the evidences of God has no part in the sufi Way [Tariiqat-imutaSawwuf]. And in no case are the observances of discipline [aadaab] neglectedby the seekers (of God), because they are used to such discipline [adab],and habit is second nature. It is impossible that a living creature shouldfall away from its natural tendencies. Therefore, as long as a person remainsin existence, he is bound to continue following the rules of discipline [aadaab],sometimes with effort [takalluf] and sometimes without effort. When theirspiritual state [Haal] is 'sober,' they observe the rules of discipline witheffort. But when their spiritual state is 'drunk,' God Most High guards theirmanners [adab]. No one is a saint [waliy] who neglects courtesy and respect[adab]-- 'for with good manners [aadaab] comes love,' and '(having) goodmanners is the quality of those who are loved by God.' And as for anyoneto whom God grants a miracle, the proof of it is that He makes him fulfillthe duties [aadaab] of religion. This is opposed to the view of some heretics,who assert that when a man is overpowered by love he is no longer subjectto obedience. I will explain this more clearly in another place, God willing.Rules of discipline [aadaab] are of three kinds. First, those which are observedtowards God, Glorious is He, in unification [tawHiid]. Here the rule is thatone must guard one's self in public and private from any disrespectful act,and behave as though one were in the presence of a king.... The second kindof discipline [adab] is that which is observed toward one's self in one'sconduct, and which consists in avoiding, when one is one's own company, anyact lacking in courtesy and respect [adab] in the company of one'sfellow-creatures or of God.... The third kind of discipline [adab] is thatwhich is observed in the company of one's fellow-creatures. The most importantof the rules of conduct [aadaab] in the company of people is to act wellwhen present (at home) or when traveling, and to observe the conduct [sunnah](of the Prophet). And these three kinds of manners [aadaab] cannot be separatedfrom each other." --al-HujwÓrÓ (died, 1072), Kashfu 'l-Mahj,b,translated by R.A. Nicholson (1911), pp. 334-336, and revised from the Persiantext by Ibrahim Gamard

"We had already come to know that none does good but God, and that amongHis good doing toward us was that he sent a messenger to us to teach us knowledgeand courtesy (adab). so we knew what he Himself wanted for us, since He laiddown that path of our felicity as the Law. He clarified it and warned usagainst ignoble affairs and told us to avoid base and blameworthy moral traits.. . . So we came to know that if He did not love us, there would not havebeen any of this." -- Ibnu 'l-`ArabÓ, Fut,h,t, II 328.19, translatedby William Chittick, "The Sufi Path of Knowledge, p. 172. "The first thingwhich God has commanded for His servant is 'bringing together' (jam`), whichis courtesy. 'Courtesy' (adab) is derived from 'banquet' (ma'daba), whichis to come together for food. Likewise courtesy is to bring together allgood. The Prophet said, 'God taught me courtesy.' In other words: He broughttogether in me all good things (khayraat); for he then says, 'How beautifulis my courtesy!' In other words: He made me a locus for every beautiful thing(husn)." -- Ibnu 'l-`ArabÓ, Fut,h,t, II 640.23, translated by WilliamChittick, "The Sufi Path of Knowledge, p. 175. "Though one group may ascribeall acts to God, in fact 'courtesy' (adab) demands that only good and beautifulacts be ascribed to God, while evil and ugly acts must be ascribed to theservants. Man must see all good as belonging to God and all evil as belongingto himself, thereby putting everything in its proper place and becoming qualifiedby justice, wisdom, and courtesy." --William Chittick, summarizing the teachingsof Ibnu 'l-`Arabi, "The Sufi Path of Knowledge," p. 211.