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Cover of Ayyuhā al-Walad — O Beloved Son
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Timeless Classics · Audiobook

Ayyuhā al-Walad — O Beloved Son

Audiobook in English — narrated from the original Arabic · free to listen

Ayyuhā al-Walad — "O Beloved Son" — al-Ghazālī's famous letter to a student is available as a complete English audiobook on Joyful Muslims. It is short: about one hour of listening, and a lifetime of advice. Free to start listening.

By Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī

أبو حامد محمد بن محمد الغزالي

Duration
1h 9m
Access
Open to all
Language
English · Arabic

Al-Ghazālī's tender letter to a beloved student — a lifetime of wisdom distilled into a few luminous pages on knowledge that transforms the heart, sincere action, and the road to God.

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About this work

What is Ayyuhā al-Walad?

Late in his life, Imam al-Ghazālī (d. 505 AH / 1111 CE) received a letter from a beloved student who had studied under him for years. The student asked: of everything I learned, what will actually benefit me? Ayyuhā al-Walad is al-Ghazālī's answer.

It is a lifetime of wisdom pressed into a few luminous pages: on knowledge that transforms the heart rather than decorating it, on acting upon what you know, and on the road to God. Because it is a letter, it speaks directly to you — which makes it perhaps the best first book of al-Ghazālī's to hear.

Is there an English audiobook of Ayyuhā al-Walad?

Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete letter as an English audiobook (about one hour), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript.

Is this a good first al-Ghazālī book?

Yes — it is short, personal, and practical. Many listeners start here, then continue into the forty books of the Iḥyāʾ, which Joyful Muslims also carries complete in English audio.

Last updated 2026-08-27

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    Living Manuscript

    Word-synced with the narrator.

    The first three minutes are transcribed here. In the app, the Living Manuscript scrolls through the entire book in rhythm with the audio — Arabic alongside English.

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    The full, word-synced transcript in Arabic and English is in the app.

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