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What is Book 26 of the Iḥyāʾ?
Condemnation of the World is Book 26 of Imam al-Ghazālī's Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, from the 11th–12th century. Its own opening names it the sixth book of the quarter on the Destructive Vices, from the Revival of the Religious Sciences. The question it answers is what the world really is and what it does to those who chase it. Al-Ghazālī's answer is that the friends of Allah have examined its signs, weighed its good deeds against its evil ones, and found that its evil outweighs its good. The book is a warning against excessive attachment to the material world, and a guide to keeping a proper perspective.
The book has two chapters. After the opening, the main chapter explains the true nature of the world and its occupations, and how worldly pursuits distract from spiritual development. The opening gives the shape of the argument in advance: the world's hopes do not suffice against its fears, the rise of its fortunes does not escape eclipse, its prosperity is narrow, and the trades of its people are loss-bearing. Whoever serves her misses out, and whoever shuns her is given her favors.
It opens with an extended image. The world appears as a fair-looking woman who allures people with her beauty while hiding secrets that destroy those who yearn for her company. If she does good for an hour, she does harm for a year; if she does harm once, she makes it her habit. She flees from her pursuers and seeks those who flee from her. The reader is asked to see the world as those who have already recognized its deceit see it.
Is there an English audiobook of Condemnation of the World?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Book 26 of the Iḥyāʾ, Condemnation of the World, as an English audiobook (about 2 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It warns against excessive attachment to the material world and shows how worldly pursuits distract from spiritual development.
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.
How long is it?
About 2 hours, in two chapters: the book's opening and an explanation of the true nature of the world and its occupations.
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.
