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What is Book 29 of the Iḥyāʾ?
Condemnation of Pride and Conceit is Book 29 of Imam al-Ghazālī's Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, written in the 11th–12th century, and the ninth book of the quarter on the Destructive Vices. It opens with a saying reported by the Messenger of Allah in which Allah says: Pride is My cloak and grandeur is My garment; whoever challenges Me in these, I will break him. Pride and conceit, al-Ghazālī says, are two destructive diseases, despised in the sight of Allah and among the most ruinous traits. The book answers what they are, where they come from, who they are directed at, and how they are treated.
The book is in two parts. The first, on pride, explains the reality and evil of arrogance, the motives behind it and its instigating causes, and the traits of the humble and the manifestations of humility. The opening lists more of its own contents: the people over whom one shows arrogance, the degrees of arrogance, and the treatment of pride. The second part turns to conceit and self-admiration, and the book closes with an exposition of the categories of what causes pride and a detailed remedy for each.
It opens with praise of Allah, whose majesty humbles every tyrant and whose greatness is beyond comprehension, and whose majesty is acknowledged by all prophets and angels. The condemnation of pride, the opening says, is clear in the Quran, which denounces it in several places. The reader is given the degrees and causes of arrogance so that he can find his own place among them before he reaches the remedy.
Is there an English audiobook of Pride & Conceit?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Book 29 of the Iḥyāʾ, Condemnation of Pride and Conceit, as an English audiobook (about 3 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It examines pride and conceit, their causes, how they show in scholars and worshippers, and the path to genuine humility before Allah.
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?
Two parts in six chapters: the reality and evil of arrogance, its motives and causes, the traits of the humble, then conceit and self-admiration, and a detailed remedy for the causes of pride. 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.
