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What is Book 32 of the Iḥyāʾ?
Patience and Gratitude is Book 32 of Imam al-Ghazālī's Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, from the 11th–12th century, and the second book of the quarter on the Saving Virtues. Its premise is stated at the start: faith comprises two halves, half of it patience and the other half gratitude, and these are attributes of Allah, who named Himself al-Sabur, the Patient, and al-Shakur, the Appreciative. To be ignorant of patience and gratitude is to be ignorant of both halves of faith. The question the book answers is what each half is, how it is attained, and how the two are joined.
The first half, on patience, explains its essence and meaning, why patience is half of faith, matters beyond choice, and the remedy of patience and what assists it. The second half explains the definition and reality of gratitude, the blessings of Allah in the means that deliver food to you, and the cause that diverts people from gratitude. A late chapter weighs the superiority of patience over gratitude, and the book ends on the true nature of hope, which leads into the next book of the quarter.
It opens with praise of Allah, who strengthens the chosen ones with the power of patience in times of ease and hardship, and gratitude during trials and blessings. There is no path to closeness to Allah except through faith, the opening says, and no one can walk the path of faith without understanding what defines faith and who possesses it. Al-Ghazālī explains both halves in one book because one is interconnected with the other.
Is there an English audiobook of Patience & Gratitude?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Book 32 of the Iḥyāʾ, Patience and Gratitude, as an English audiobook (about 5.5 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It presents sabr and shukr as the two pillars of the spiritual life, their relationship to each other, and their role in every trial and blessing.
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 5.5 hours, in ten chapters: a first half on patience (its essence, patience as half of faith, matters beyond choice, its remedy) and a second half on gratitude (its definition and reality, the blessings in the means that deliver food to you, what diverts people from gratitude, and the superiority of patience over gratitude).
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.
