Adab with Allah
We often speak of the concept of adab (good manners) as it pertains to other people, to fellow believers, family, friends, religious figures, scholars, saints and most notably the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. In this article, we look at adab as it pertains to Allah Almighty, the Lord of the Worlds.
Introduction
Adab is frequently translated as good manners. It connotes propriety, civility and a sense of behaving oneself well. Such a civilised person, one characterised with fine courtesy and adab, avoids anything that would be unbecoming of the situation that they may find themselves in. They are people who act in a manner most aligned with refined excellence and the truth.
Where does adab come from?
Since society itself is composed of various different people, and life too also presents itself with a wide array of circumstances, so each and every human being acquires multiple relations that they may uphold at any given time. From one perspective, a person is a child of their parents. From another, they may be a parent of a child or children themselves. Likewise, one may be a sibling, a neighbour, a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, an employee, an employer, and so on. With each and every relation that a person has, there is an appropriate way of being – or adab – that comes along with it.
The form of etiquette that we are asked to uphold in each of these relations is as befits them, for it would be absurd to think that we ought to be with everyone in exactly the same manner as everyone else. For example, the way it would be suitable to be with a close friend would differ from the way it would be suitable to behave with a teacher. Similarly, the conduct which would be appropriate with one’s parents would differ in comparison to the conduct befitting a passing interaction with a stranger. As seen, the way adab is expressed varies based on various factors, such as age, closeness, religious standing, circumstance, and so on.
Due to this variety, our responsibilities and etiquettes may number more in certain relations than in others, some of them may also be of greater importance and priority than others, and the responsibilities themselves may also change depending on the circumstance and situation. Whatever the case may be, adab is important. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Indeed, Allah ﷻ has prescribed excellence in everything.”
Our Relationship with Allah Almighty
Amongst all of these bonds that a human being may possess, there is the most fundamental of them all: this is the relation of being a created servant of Allah ﷻ.
There are a few reasons for this:
The rest of our bonds depend solely on this one. Were we not created by Allah ﷻ, it would not even be possible for us to have these other relations. Therefore, this tie precedes them. It is their basis.
Our bonds with everything else is possible. For example, it could be possible that a person may not have children, a spouse, siblings, friends, animals under one’s care, etc. There is an element of choice in many of our bonds. They also could have been otherwise and are limited. However, it is not possible for us to be anything but utterly dependent creations of Allah Almighty.
Our relation as His created slaves dictates the way we ought to be in all our other human relations. This is because we attain our moral instructions from Allah ﷻ, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise. Therefore, what we should do and what we should not do – ie. what constitutes correct conduct in life and with other people – is grounded upon this recognition and upon following it.
This third point is crucial to avoid the misunderstanding that adab with Allah ﷻ is something diametrically different to having adab with anyone or anything else.
Etiquette with Allah ﷻ mandates having good etiquette with His creation, and upholding good etiquette with His creation is only true and proper by maintaining impeccable adab with Allah ﷻ.
How should we have adab with Allah ﷻ?
Thus far, we have seen that humans have various relations and that these relations require their own particular way of being, or what we have termed adab, with them. We have also seen that we should try to behave according to this adab and to do so with excellence.
Given our relationship as created servants of Allah ﷻ, what is the adab required of us before Him ﷻ?
Absolute Monotheism. This means we single Allah ﷻ as the only being worthy of worship. Allah Almighty says: “Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him.” (4:36)
Ascribing divinity to anything or anyone other than Allah ﷻ is the greatest injustice.
Sincerity in Worship. This means we only intend the glorification, pleasure and closeness of Allah ﷻ in all our acts of worship. We do not do these acts having anyone or anything else in mind. He ﷻ says: “Whoever fears to meet his Lord should do good deeds and not associate anyone in the worship of His Lord.” (18:110) It is only proper that we direct our worship to the only being who is worthy of it.
Allah Almighty has also told us that actions are only accepted if they are done purely for His sake. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stated that Allah ﷻ said: “I am the One who is in need of no partners. If anyone does an action in which he associates anyone else with Me, I shall leave him with the one whom he associated with Me.”
Submitting Wholeheartedly to His Revelation. This means we hear, obey and accept everything that has been revealed in the Quran and transmitted upon the tongue of His Messenger ﷺ. This entails following His Commands, abstaining from His Prohibitions and believing with certainty in all the matters about the unseen (al-ghayb). Believing in Allah ﷻ necessitates complete surrender to all that He says.
Contentment with His Decree. A person who has recognised Allah ﷻ has a good opinion of Him. He understands that “He is not questioned as to what He does but they will be asked.” (21:23) Etiquette asks that we recognise our utter inability to question the Lord of the Worlds. This adab necessitates facing life’s tribulations with patience and acceptance, knowing that all affairs are under His control. A well-mannered person does not object to the Decree of Allah ﷻ, such as the way He ﷻ has apportioned wealth amongst human beings, as an example.
Expressing Joy and Gratitude. This means inculcating genuine appreciation for all of the blessings bestowed upon us. This includes the blessing of existence itself, and thereby all of the subsequent blessings that are showered upon us at every moment onward. Most importantly, it would be the blessing of guidance and faith. It would also include being grateful for even being grateful for His favours! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who is the pinnacle of all excellence and adab, when asked as to why he ﷺ would pray to the point that his blessed feet would swell, would say: “Should I not be a thankful slave?”
Undoubtedly, it would be very poor manners to remain silent or to not thank the one who has done you good. Worse would be to show displeasure or unappreciation for it. Imagine now if every time you expressed your thankfulness, you were blessed with more and more? Allah Almighty says: “If you are grateful, I will surely increase you.” (14:7)
Conclusion
The relationship we have with Allah Almighty is ever-present. The first step of adab is to recognise and acknowledge this fact: that we are His slaves. Just as how we can always do better in our human bonds, whether they be spousal, familial or professional, we should also strive to better our relationship with our Creator. Every relation has an appropriate way of being along with it, both in terms of its outward manifestation as well as its inner dimension. In this article, we have briefly touched on a few ways by which we can inculcate good etiquette in our servitude to Allah ﷻ. This concept, which is referred to as adab, cannot be encompassed in this short article, but at its foundation involves being conscious of Him ﷻ, of one’s own status as His created servant, and conducting oneself accordingly with respect to this reality between the Lord and His slave in all of our physical, cognitive and spiritual states and conditions.
References
Muslim 1955
Muslim 2985
Bukhari 6471
al-Attas. Islam and Secularism, pg.105
