Based on this...

Based on this, it would be wrong to use the word ‘adab’[^1] for actions that are not praiseworthy in the eyes of the intellect and religion such as: injustice, cheating, lying, miserliness, jealousy and the like; and this also applies to actions that are out of the control of human beings.

Similarly sunnah consists of the attributes of human actions, bearing in mind that the meaning of sunnah is more general than that of adab since sunnah refers to the good and evil ways whereas adab is only used to mean beautiful actions that are praiseworthy in the specific and general sense.

The Noble Prophet (S) said: “Excellent adab is the ornament of the intellect.”[^2] Imam Ali (as) says: “The adab are like new attires.”[^3] Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (as) said: “One who has no intellect has no adab .”[^4] Indeed the ahadith about adab are numerous. The human being is – based on his knowledge, beliefs, thoughts and emotions – of course bound by a chain of adab and sunnah [^5], with which his life starts and ends.

The adab and sunnah exemplify the spirituality of a community and reveal people’s thoughts and beliefs. Their growth and decline, successes and failures, progress and regress are all dependent on their adab and sunnah . Similarly, the only way to know an individual is by the adab and the sunnah that are particular to him and show his thoughts and opinions.

The adab and sunnah that have been found in different communities to date can be summarized into four types: • The adab and sunnah based on superstition • The adab and sunnah generally accepted by the masses • adab and sunnah of the scholars and those with wisdom • adab and sunnah of the prophets, messengers and infallible Imams (as) It is not possible for us to pinpoint the exact time or location where the adab and sunnah based on superstition or those that became generally accepted by the masses began.

We can say for sure, however, that there appeared among the monotheists a special form of adab and sunnah , from the time of Adam (as) until today, which is different from all the other forms of sunnah . This type of sunnah and adab is above the intellect and comprehension of human beings, and man is unable to reach it by his mind or senses. It is outside the realm of his understanding.

Only a special group of men called ‘the Prophets’ are able to attain it by means of divine inspiration and revelation and they then pass it on to all the people.