Adab al-Suhba li-Abi Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami
- Author died
- 412 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Ṣaḥābah lil-Turāth
Adab al-Suhba (The Etiquette of Companionship), also titled Adab al-Suhba wa-Husn al-Ishra (The Etiquette of Companionship and Good Social Conduct), is a treatise on Islamic social ethics, companionship, and spiritual brotherhood composed by the Sufi scholar and traditionist Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami (d. 412 AH / 1021 CE) .
Categories of Companionship
Al-Sulami delineates distinct stations and categories of companionship (suhba), each governed by specific duties and proper manners :
- Companionship with God: Fulfilled through observing proper conduct, perpetual awe, adhering to His commandments, avoiding His prohibitions, constant remembrance (dhikr), reciting the Quran, guarding the heart against displeasing thoughts, submitting to divine decree, and showing compassion to creation .
- Companionship with the Prophet ﷺ: Realized by following his Sunnah, avoiding religious innovations, venerating his companions, wives, and descendants, and avoiding any contradiction of his guidance in subtle or major matters .
- Companionship with the Companions and the Prophet’s Household: Practiced by praying for mercy upon them, giving precedence to whom they prioritized, speaking well of them, and accepting their transmitted rulings and traditions .
- Companionship with the Saints (awliya): Maintained through respectful service, deference, and accepting their accounts regarding themselves and their teachers .
- Companionship with Rulers (al-sultan): Characterized by obedience unless commanded to commit a sin or violate the Sunnah, praying in secret for their righteousness, offering sincere counsel, and participating alongside them in congregational prayer and jihad .
- Companionship with Scholars, Parents, Family, and Brethren: Outlining the appropriate respectful behavior toward parents and scholars, as well as affection and responsibility toward one's family and peers .
Principles of Fellowship and Brotherhood
In detailing companionship among brethren and peers, al-Sulami compiles more than eighty facets encompassing the rules of conduct and mutual rights among companions . Among the key principles emphasized in the text:
- Selection of Associates: Choosing companions characterized by intellect, knowledge, clemency, and piety, while avoiding the company of those consumed by worldly ambitions, as they divert a person from seeking spiritual salvation . He also advises associating with virtuous individuals before whom one feels a sense of shame and respect (ihtisham), which acts as a deterrent against missteps .
- Tolerance and Forbearance: Overlooking the slips of friends, refraining from reprimand, and interpreting their actions charitably . Al-Sulami cites al-Fudayl ibn Iyad defining spiritual chivalry (futuwwa) as pardoning the mistakes of brothers .
- Harmony and Avoidance of Discord: Minimizing opposition to companions in worldly matters, as worldly concerns are too insignificant to warrant disputes .
- Fulfilling Promises and Sincerity: Fulfilling commitments made to brothers, noting that breaking promises is an attribute of hypocrisy .
- Benevolence and Good Cheer: Interacting with constant cheerfulness, sharing wealth and personal aid, publicizing the virtues of companions while concealing their faults, rejoicing in the divine blessings bestowed upon them without envy, and praying for them in their absence .
Method and Transmission
Al-Sulami constructs his text by framing normative ethical points and supporting them with Prophetic hadiths, Quranic verses, and transmitted aphorisms from early authorities and Sufi figures, such as Ali ibn Abi Talib, Sufyan al-Thawri, Dhu al-Nun al-Misri, Yahya ibn Mu'adh, Abu Uthman al-Hiri, Abd Allah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Isma'il ibn Nujayd .
Later scholars drew directly from Adab al-Suhba; al-Bayhaqi narrated material from it in his Shu'ab al-Iman via al-Sulami , Ibn al-Hajj quoted from it extensively in al-Madkhal , and Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi referenced its hadith narrations in his evaluation of the traditions of Ihya Ulum al-Din .
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