Reading Yahya ibn Adi III

In his Reformation of Morals, Yahya ibn Adi extols the virtue of fidelity:

Fidelity . . . is steadfastness in what a man expends of himself and for which he gives his word as a pledge. It is leaving behind what gives him security, even if it is to his own detriment. One is not reckoned faithful who incurs no harm by reasons of his fidelity, even if it is only small. Whenever stepping forward into something he judges to be for the good of his soul brings him harm, one is the more developed in fidelity. This moral quality is laudable; everyone will profit from it. Whoever is known for fidelity will be taken at his word in everything he promises. Whoever is taken at his word has great dignity. However, the advantage for kings in this moral quality is greater, and their need for it is stronger. For, when some of them are known to have little fidelity, they are not trusted when they make promises, their objectives are not achieved, and their army and their officials do not have faith in them. (Yahya ibn Adi, The Reformation of Morals, trans. Sidney H. Griffith [Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 2002], 34-37.)

The Arabic term for this is wafā' which comprises notions of integrity, faithfulness, loyalty, fidelity, good faith, and even the discharge of a debt.

The opposite of this is perfidy:

Perfidy . . . is reneging on what a man will spend on his own accord, all the while guaranteeing the payment of it. This moral quality is to be deemed repugnant, even if there is some advantage and profit in it for the one possessing it. It is more repugnant in kings and leaders, and for them it is most harmful. No one relies on, and no man puts his trust in, any king known for perfidy. When he proves to be unreliable, the good order of his reign is vitiated. (Yahya ibn Adi, The Reformation of Morals, 50-51.)

The Arabic term is ġadr which also means treason or betrayal.

Someone could write a book on this subject, indeed a friend of mine already has.

Yahya discusses the penalties resulting from perfidy. The penalties he discusses are not legal penalties though at certain times and in certain societies they might carry such. They are the social consequences of betrayal. Nothing has changed in that regard in the millennium since Yahya wrote.

Reading Yahya ibn Adi II

In The Reformation of Morals, Yahya ibn Adi distinguishes between virtues which should be observed and developed by everyone, virtues which pertain to commoners, and those which pertain to the elite classes. Yahya recognized that sometimes those in positions of power are in situations where they have to balance their adherence to ideals with reality of the good of society.

One of the virtues that Yahya ibn Adi considers is ṣidqu-l-lahja, literally righteousness of the tongue, or honesty:

It is giving information about something as it actually is. This moral quality is to be considered good as long as it does not lead to some ruinous damage.

Thus one might expect that rulers would find themselves in a position where lying would be more appropriate for them. But this is not the case:

Truthfulness is to be considered good for all people, but it is best for kings and important people. As a matter of fact, lying will never suit them.

So if truthfulness is best for important people, why is it so rare among them?


[Quotes from Yahya ibn Adi, The Reformation of Morals, trans. Sidney H. Griffith (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 2002), 38-41.

Reading Yahya ibn Adi I

Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Adi ibn Hamid ibn Zakariyya al-Tikriti al-Mantiqi is an author who has not made the best seller list for a millennium. Born in A.D. 893, Yahya was an influential scribe and scholar in Baghdad in the mid-940s who attracted both Christian and Muslim disciples. A dual language edition of his work, The Reformation of Morals is available.[1] This is a remarkable work that deserves to be better known.

While today it is popular to claim that one cannot or should not change because one is born that way, Yahya ibn Adi argues that individuals can and should change their behavior to have better morals. Yahya’s comments compare interestingly with those of two Book of Mormon kings: Benjamin and Mosiah.

Yahya argues that “people are disposed to bad morals, inclined to yield to base desires.” [2] “There are some people who take no notice of the matter; but when they are put to notice, they perceive the foulness, and so sometimes their soul brings them to renunciation.”[3] King Benjamin was more emphatic: “the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” (Mosiah 3:19‎).

Yahya also argues for the flip-side of something that King Mosiah argued. King Mosiah argued that: “how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction! Yea, remember king Noah, his wickedness and his abominations, and also the wickedness and abominations of his people. Behold what great destruction did come upon them; and also because of their iniquities they were brought into bondage.” (Mosiah 29:17–18‎). Yahya argues that “the advantage of kings of good conduct is immense. They will dissuade the wrongdoer from his wrong, they will hold back the angry man from his anger, they will punish the immoral man for his immorality, and they will restrain the tyrant to the point that he reverts to moderation in all his affairs.” [4]

 
Because we all need repentance and improvement, Yahya ibn Adi’s work, The Reformation of Morals, is as relevant now as it was a millennium ago.

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[1] Yahya ibn Adi, The Reformation of Morals, ed. and trans. Sidney H. Griffith (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2002).

[2] Yahya ibn Adi, The Reformation of Morals, ed. and trans. Sidney H. Griffith (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2002), 11.

[3] Yahya ibn Adi, The Reformation of Morals, ed. and trans. Sidney H. Griffith (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2002), 11.

[4] Yahya ibn Adi, The Reformation of Morals, ed. and trans. Sidney H. Griffith (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2002), 11.