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What is Book 28 of the Iḥyāʾ?
Condemnation of Status and Showing Off is Book 28 of Imam al-Ghazālī's Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, from the 11th–12th century, in the quarter on the Destructive Vices. It starts from a hadith: what the Messenger of Allah feared most for his community was ostentation and the hidden desire, more concealed than a black ant on a solid rock in a dark night. The question the book answers is how to detect a disease that even expert scholars may struggle to see in themselves, and how to treat it. Al-Ghazālī says it primarily tests scholars and devout worshippers, who may find themselves seeking people's praise rather than Allah's approval.
The book is arranged in two parts, the first on the love of fame and renown, the second on the condemnation of prestige and its meaning. Its chapters explain the remedy for love of praise and hatred of criticism, the true nature of ostentation (riya), and the cure for ostentation and the path to healing the heart. The last chapter sets out what the seeker should commit to before and after deeds, so that the purification of intention is carried into practice.
The opening says the soul finds pleasure in being praised and respected by others, and that this can lead to hypocrisy. It is a deception of the soul from which only the true friends of Allah escape, and the last thing to leave their hearts is said to be the love of leadership. The root of fame is the spread of reputation, which the opening calls blameworthy, and it holds up obscurity as praiseworthy. That is the standard the reader is asked to measure himself against.
Is there an English audiobook of Status & Showing Off?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Book 28 of the Iḥyāʾ, Condemnation of Status and Showing Off, as an English audiobook (about 3.5 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It exposes the hidden forms of seeking status and showing off, their effects on the soul, and the remedies for purifying one's intentions.
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?
Six chapters: the condemnation of status and ostentation, the condemnation of prestige and its meaning, the remedy for love of praise and hatred of criticism, the true nature of ostentation, its cure and the path to healing the heart, and what the seeker should commit to before and after deeds. It runs about 3.5 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.
