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What is Book 2 of the Iḥyāʾ?
The Book of Belief is Book 2 of Imam al-Ghazālī's Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, in the first quarter of the work, the Acts of Worship. Al-Ghazālī wrote the Iḥyāʾ in the 11th–12th century. After the Book of Knowledge, this is the book that sets out what a Muslim believes and why. It answers the question: what are the foundations of faith, and how should a sincere seeker understand them? It covers the pillars of faith, the attributes of Allah, and the essentials of theological understanding.
The audiobook is arranged in four foundations and four chapters. The four foundations are the oneness of God (tawheed), prophethood, the Hereafter, and divine decree (qadar). Chapter 1 presents the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah, with hadiths on belief in the Basin and in accountability. Chapter 2 explains the method of gradual guidance. Chapter 3 draws insights from the evidence of the creed, including the vision of Allah in the Hereafter, divine oneness and the ten attributes, and four principles: that Allah is all-capable, all-knowing, eternally living, and possesses will, hearing, sight and speech. Chapter 4 takes the principles of belief into their deeper dimensions.
It opens with the first foundation, the oneness of God. Tawheed, the book says, means that Allah is unique, without partner or equal; it is the core of the faith and the basis for every other belief and practice. The Qurʾān is quoted at once: "Say, He is Allah, the One." From there it moves to prophethood, the Hereafter and decree in the same plain order. The book asks the listener to hold each foundation clearly before adding the next.
Is there an English audiobook of The Book of Belief?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Book 2: The Book of Belief as an English audiobook (about 3 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It covers the foundations of Islamic belief: the pillars of faith, the attributes of Allah, and the essentials of theological understanding.
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 foundations (the oneness of God, prophethood, the Hereafter, divine decree) and four chapters: the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah, the method of gradual guidance, insights from the evidence of the creed including the ten attributes and four principles, and the deeper dimensions of belief. It runs about 3 hours.
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.
