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What is Book 23 of the Iḥyāʾ?
The Book of Breaking the Two Desires is Book 23 of Imam al-Ghazālī's Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, written in the 11th–12th century. Its own opening names it the third book of the quarter on the Destructive Vices. The question it answers is how a believer governs the two strongest appetites of the body: the desire of the belly and the sexual desire. Al-Ghazālī's answer is spiritual discipline, sustained until both appetites are brought under the governance of reason and faith. He treats the belly first, because he calls it the fountain of desires and the root of diseases and afflictions.
The book has three chapters. After the opening, the first explains the virtue of hunger and the blame of fullness. Here al-Ghazālī calls the desire of the belly the greatest destructive trait for the son of Adam, and recalls that it was by this desire that Adam and Eve, peace be upon them, were expelled from the abode of permanence to the abode of disgrace and need. The final chapter turns to the second desire and explains what the seeker must consider regarding marriage.
It opens with praise of Allah, who enables contentment with little provision, narrows Satan's paths for those who oppose him, and breaks the desire of the soul, warding off its evil. All of this, the opening says, is a test and a trial: it observes how a person prioritizes Him over desires, preserves His commands, refrains from what is prohibited, and remains steadfast in obedience. The reader is invited to examine the two desires in that light.
Is there an English audiobook of The Book of Breaking the Two Desires?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Book 23 of the Iḥyāʾ, The Book of Breaking the Two Desires, as an English audiobook (about 2 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It addresses the desire for food and the sexual desire, and the discipline that brings them under the governance of reason and faith.
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?
Three chapters: the book's opening, the virtue of hunger and the blame of fullness, and what the seeker must consider regarding marriage. It runs about 2 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.
