Adab al-Mujalasa wa Hamd al-Lisan
- Author died
- 463 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Ṣaḥābah lil-Turāth
Adab al-Mujalasa wa Hamd al-Lisan (The Etiquette of Gathering and Praising the Tongue) is a treatise on assembly etiquette, speech ethics, and linguistic propriety by the Andalusian Maliki scholar and traditionist Ibn Abd al-Barr (368–463 AH / 978–1071 CE).
Scope and Structure
The full title given at the beginning of the text is Adab al-Mujalasa wa Hamd al-Lisan wa Fadl al-Bayan wa Dhamm al-Iyy wa Ta'lim al-I'rab (The Etiquette of Gathering, Praising the Tongue, the Virtue of Clarification, the Censure of Inarticulateness, and the Learning of Grammatical Inflection). The work is organized around thematic chapters covering social assemblies and verbal conduct, including:
- The etiquette of sitting in gatherings and the rights of a companion (Bab adab al-mujalasa wa haqq al-jalis).
- Praising the tongue and the virtue of eloquence and clarification (Bab hamd al-lisan wa fadl al-bayan).
- Learning grammatical inflection, avoiding grammatical error (lahn), and censuring obscure vocabulary in address (Bab fi ta'lim al-i'rab wa ijtinab al-lahn wa dhamm al-gharib fi al-khitab).
- Praising silence and censuring speech (Bab hamd al-samt wa dhamm al-mantiq).
- Censuring inarticulateness and superfluous speech (Bab dhamm al-iyy wa hashw al-kalam).
Content and Method
The work compiles prophetic traditions, reports from the Companions and Successors, statements of scholars, aphorisms of early sages, and classical Arabic poetry.
In the chapter on assembly etiquette, the author cites hadiths emphasizing that gatherings are held in trust, prohibiting the separation of two seated companions without their consent, and encouraging greeting, expanding space for newcomers, and addressing peers by the names they love most. In the sections on speech and rhetoric, he balances the virtues of the tongue—noting that righteous words earn divine pleasure and that speech conveys guidance—with the merits of silence, restraining the tongue from harm, and avoiding excessive chatter.
The section on language and grammar highlights the necessity of mastering Arabic for understanding religion and the sunnah, citing reports such as Umar ibn al-Khattab's directive to learn Arabic, Abd Allah ibn Umar disciplining his children for grammatical solecisms, and traditionist Shu'ba ibn al-Hajjaj's comparison of studying hadith without grammar to a bed without a headboard. In addressing verbal delivery, the author records reports from figures such as Malik ibn Anas and al-Hasan al-Basri censuring rambling speech, inarticulateness, and unmeasured verbosity.
Answer updated