The poem begins by establishing its narrative voice. This is a speaker whose main purpose is to relate to the humanity of Abou Ben Adhem. The use of Ben Adhem’s name as both the title of the poem and the first words makes it clear that he is the central focus here. Yet the poem's actually speaker is not entirely detached, as the bracketed phrase in the first line makes clear. This is an apostrophe, in which the speaker makes clear their approval of Ben Adhem by blessing him. The speaker hopes for more people like Ben Adhem in the world—and the rest of the poem will justify this position.
The use of “tribe” is also religiously evocative, harking back to the idea of different peoples as distinct “tribes” that runs throughout Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The speaker doesn’t want Ben Adhem’s tribe to increase in the sense of his literal descendants growing more numerous; instead, this is a point about spirituality, religious life, and love of humanity. The tribe referred to is the group of people who actively love their “fellow men”—by showing compassion, empathy, and selflessness.
Abou Ben Adhem is the anglicized name of the Sufi saint, Ibrahim ibn Adham. Leigh Hunt read about him in Barthélemy d'Herbelot’s Bibliothèque orientale, first published in 1697. Ben Adhem is a semi-historical figure whose story took on mythical properties. He famously renounced his position as a king to become an ascetic—someone who practices a devoutly religious life and rejects material wealth. This is important to consider when looking at the poem: the poem also rejects one way of life and argues for another.
The second line relates how Ben Adhem was awoken from a “deep dream of peace.” The alliteration and consonance here make the “depth” of that peace all the more pronounced—and indeed, makes the reader wonder about the source of that peace (later revealed to be an assured love for mankind). The assonance (“deep dream of peace") serves a similar function.
The angel’s appearance in Ben Adhem’s room brings with it a particular adjustment of the light—making it more “rich.” The use of the word “rich” deliberately hints at the conflict between material and spiritual wealth—likewise the fact that the book in which the angel writes is “gold.” The goldness is suggestive of both religious authority and material riches (the kind of which Ben Adhem rejects). Lilies have a long-standing association with purity and light, and perhaps this is why Hunt opts for this particular simile here. The consonance across “like a lily in bloom, / an angel” has a luxurious /l/ sound, suggesting the vibrancy of the angel's visit.
It’s possible that the poem tells the story of the “Night of Records,” in which it is believed that God decides people’s destiny for the following year—including whether they will be summoned to be with God through death. While this is perhaps in the background of the poem, Hunt’s emphasis is very much on the specific distinction between love of humankind and love of God (and how they are indispensable from one another).