An angel appears to Abou Ben Adhem, bringing a list of those who love God. When Abou Ben Adhem asks if his name is on the list he is surprised to find that it is not. He thinks for a moment and tells the angel to write his name on the list of those who love their fellow men. The angel does so.
The following night, the angel reappears holding another list. Abou Ben Adhem asks the angel what this list shows and the angel replies that it is a list of those who are blessed by God. Abou Ben Adhem's name appears at the top of this list. From this, Abou Ben Adhem can see that the way to show that one loves God is to love one's fellow human.
Rather of giving up, Abou Ben Adhem asks to be placed in the book of those who love others and humbly declares his affection for his fellow men. Then, in this second book, the angel writes his name. The angel reappears the following night and tells Abou Ben Adhem that he is blessed and that God now counts his name among those who love him because of his love for his fellow people.
The poem emphasizes that acts of compassion and love toward others, rather than only acts of personal devotion, are the reflection of true spiritual worth and heavenly favor.
