What was Abou Ben Adhem doing before the angle came to his room?

The poem "Abou Ben Adhem" by Leigh Hunt doesn't explicitly state what Abou Ben Adhem was doing before the angel's visit. However, the poem does suggest that he was asleep when the angel entered his room:

> "Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)

> Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

> And saw, within the moonlight in his room,

> Making it rich and like a lily in bloom,

> An angel writing in a book of gold:"

It's likely Abou Ben Adhem was simply resting in his room, dreaming, when the angel arrived. The poem focuses on the interaction between Abou Ben Adhem and the angel, leaving the specifics of his prior activities to the reader's imagination.