Adab ( ar, أدب) in the context of behavior, refers to prescribed Islamic

etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...

: "refinement, good manners, morals, decorum, decency, humaneness". Al-Adab ( ar, الﺁداب) has been defined as "decency, morals". While interpretation of the scope and particulars of Adab may vary among different cultures, common among these interpretations is regard for personal standing through the observation of certain codes of behavior.Ensel, Remco. ''Saints and Servants in Southern Morocco''. 1999, page 180 To exhibit Adab would be to show "proper discrimination of correct order, behavior, and taste." Islam has rules of etiquette and an

ethical Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

code involving every aspect of life.

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s refer to Adab as good

manners Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...

courtesy Courtesy (from the word ''courteis'', from the 12th century) is Gentleness, gentle politeness and Royal court, courtly Etiquette, manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the nobility was compiled in courtesy books. Hist ...

respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of ...

, and appropriateness, covering acts such as entering or exiting a washroom, posture when sitting, and cleansing oneself.

Customs and behaviour

Practitioners of Islam are generally taught to follow some specific customs in their daily lives. Most of these customs can be traced back to

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Je ...

ic traditions in

pre-Islamic Arabia Pre-Islamic Arabia ( ar, شبه الجزيرة العربية قبل الإسلام) refers to the Arabian Peninsula before the emergence of Islam in 610 CE. Some of the settled communities developed into distinctive civilizations. Informatio ...

n society. Due to Muhammad's sanction or tacit approval of such practices, these customs are considered to be Sunnah (practices of Muhammad as part of the religion) by the Ummah (Muslim nation). It includes customs like: * Saying "'' Bismillah''" (in the name of Allah) before eating and drinking. *Drinking in 3 gulps slowly * Using the right hand for drinking and eating. * Saying "''Assalaamualaikum warahmathullahi wabarakaatuhu''" (may peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you) when meeting someone and answering with "''Wa 'alaikumus salam warahmathullahi wabarakaatuhu''" (and peace mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you also ). * Saying "''

Alhamdulillah ''Alhamdulillah'' ( ar, ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ, ') is an Arabic phrase meaning "praise be to God", sometimes translated as "thank God". This phrase is called ''Tahmid'' ( ar, تَحْمِيد, lit=Praising, link=no). A longer varian ...

''" (all gratitude and praise is for only Allah) when sneezing and responding with "''Yarhamukallah''" (Allah have mercy on you). * Saying the "''

Adhan Adhan ( ar, أَذَان ; also variously transliterated as athan, adhane (in French), azan/azaan (in South Asia), adzan (in Southeast Asia), and ezan (in Turkish), among other languages) is the Islamic call to public prayer ( salah) in a mo ...

''" (prayer call) in the right ear of a newborn and the Iqama in its left. * In the sphere of

hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

, it includes: ** Clipping the moustache ** Removing armpit hair regardless of gender ** Cutting nails ** Circumcising the male offspring ** Cleaning the nostrils, the mouth, and the teeth ** Cleaning the body after urination and defecation * Not entering a host's home until one has made sure their presence is welcome (''hatta tasta nisu'') * Abstention from sexual relations during the

menstrual cycle The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in hormone production and the structures of the uterus and ovaries of the female reproductive system that make pregnancy possible. The ovarian cycle controls the production and release of eggs ...

and the puerperal discharge, and ceremonial bath after the menstrual cycle, and ''Janabah'' (

seminal Seminal, ultimately from Latin ''semen'', "seed", may refer to: *Relating to seeds *Relating to semen *(Of a work, event, or person) Having much social influence Social influence comprises the ways in which individuals adjust their behavior to mee ...

/ ovular discharge or sexual intercourse). * Burial rituals include funeral prayer of bathed and enshrouded body in coffin cloth and burying it in a grave.Ghamidi (2001)
"Customs and Behavioral Laws"
. The list above is far from comprehensive. As Islam sees itself as more of a way of life than a religion, Islamic adab is concerned with all areas of an individual's life, not merely the list mentioned above.

Examples in scripture of encouraging Adab

Hadith

Sunni hadith

Abu 'Amr ash-Shaybani said, "The owner of this house (and he pointed at the house of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud) said, "I asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which action Allah loves best. He replied, 'Prayer at its proper time.' 'Then what?' I asked. He said, 'Then kindness to parents." I asked, 'Then what?' He replied, 'Then jihad in the Way of Allah.'" He added, "He told me about these things. If I had asked him to tell me more, he would have told me more." ''Kitab Al Adab Al Mufrad'' p. 29
Qahwama.com

Shia hadith

Ali ibn Abi Talib ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

the first Shiite Imam said:" Whoever leads the people must discipline others in his own way, deeds, and behavior before disciplining others with his language, and his instructor and educator deserve more respect than the educator and educator of the people". and

Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ( ar, علي بن الحسين زين العابدين), also known as al-Sajjād (, ) or simply as Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (), , was an Imam in Shiʻi Islam after his father Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle Hasan ...

said:"It is your child's right to bring him up with good manners and morals".

Literature

A class of literature known as ''Adab'' is found in Islamic history. These were works written on the proper etiquette, manners for various professions and for ordinary Muslims, (examples include "manuals of advice for kings on how to rule and for physicians on how to care for patients"), and also works of fiction literature that provide moral exemplars within their stories.

Notes and references

*Bruce Privratsky, ''Muslim Turkistan'', pgs. 98-99 {{DEFAULTSORT:Adab (Behavior) Arabic words and phrases in Sharia Islamic terminology