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What is Book 19 of the Iḥyāʾ?
Book 19 of Imam al-Ghazālī's Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn is The Book of Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil. It is the ninth book of the quarter on Norms of Daily Life. Imam al-Ghazālī wrote in the 11th to 12th century. The book answers the question of who must correct a wrong, under what conditions, and how far he may go. Al-Ghazālī calls this duty a fundamental pillar of the religion, the matter for which Allah sent all the prophets. If it were neglected, he says, faith would wither, ignorance would prevail, and corruption would become rampant.
The book has four chapters. Chapter 1 is on the obligation and its virtue. Chapter 2 sets out the pillars and conditions: whether one must be authorised by the Imam, the condition of capability, the nature of the evil itself, and the degrees of response, from admonishment and reproach to change by hand, threat, striking, and weapons, together with the etiquette of the enforcer. Chapter 3 lists common customary evils. Chapter 4 is on commanding rulers and sultans, and describes the four kinds of rulers.
It opens by saying that as the knowledge and practice of this pillar have diminished, people's hearts have succumbed to flattery, and a truthful believer who is not deterred by critics has become rare upon the earth. Whoever strives to mend this breach, al-Ghazālī says, is distinguished among the creation for reviving a practice that time has led towards extinction. The reader is asked to take up that work, within the conditions and etiquettes the book lays down.
Is there an English audiobook of The Book of Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Book 19: The Book of Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil as an English audiobook (about 4 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It addresses the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil, its conditions, its etiquettes, and the wisdom required to fulfil this communal duty with justice and compassion.
Is it free to listen?
The whole library is open to everyone. Every member gets five hours of listening free each month; Joyful+ removes the time limit.
What does it cover?
Four chapters: the obligation and its virtue, its pillars and conditions with the degrees of response and the etiquette of the enforcer, common customary evils, and commanding rulers and sultans, including the four kinds of rulers.
Last updated 2026-09-11
Inside the book.
Chapters
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.
Living Manuscript
Listen to the full book in the app for the complete Living Manuscript.
The full, word-synced transcript in Arabic and English is in the app.
