Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, And to the presence in the room he said, "What writest thou?"

1. To whom did Ben Adhem address these words? Mention the context in which he said this.        [2]
2. What was the ‘presence’ doing in Ben Adhem’s room? What did the presence say in response to Ben Adhem’s question?      [2]
3. What did Abou ben Adhem say after this exchange? How did the presence respond to his words?     [3]
4. Describe the events of the following night.        [3]

Answer 1

1. Ben Adhem addressed these words to the angel. One night Abou woke up from a deep dream of peace. He saw an angel writing something in a golden book. He asked the angel what he wrote. The angel replied that he was writing the names of those who loved God, but Abou' s name was not there. Abou requested the angel to write his name in the list of those who loved their fellowmen. The next night the angel came again and showed Abou the names of those whom God had blessed. Abou was surprised to see that his name was written on top.
2. The 'presence' was writing the names of those who loved God, in his golden book. Seeing him, Ben Adhem asked him what he was writing in his golden book. The angel raised his head and looked at Abou in a friendly way. The angel replied that he was writing the names of those who loved God.
3. Abou requested the angel to write his name in the list of those who loved their fellowmen. After this, the angel wrote something and Vanished. The next night the angel came -again and showed Abou the names of those whom God had blessed. Abou was surprised to see that his name was written on top.
4. The poem "Abou Ben Adhem" depicts the heavenly feelings of Abou Adhem, a strong believer in God who believes that not only loving God, but also loving people who believe in God is great. The poem describes an event in the life of Adhem. One night, he woke up from his deep peaceful sleep and saw a beautiful angel, in the moonlight that lit his room, writing something in a golden book. He looked at the angel with wonder. The peaceful ambience of the room encouraged him to question the angel what he was writing. The angel raised its head and with sweetness, answered Adhem that it was writing the names of all those who loved God. On hearing this, Abou enquired about his name in the list. But the angel's reply was negative which made Abou a little sad but still he cheerfully requested the angel to write his name in the list of people who loved God's fellowmen. The angel wrote something in the book and disappeared. The next night the angel appeared again with a great bright light that roused Adhem from his sleep. It showed Adhem the names of those people whom God had blessed and to great surprise, Abou's name was at the top of the list.