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What is Book 34 of the Iḥyāʾ?
Poverty and Asceticism is Book 34 of Imam al-Ghazālī's Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn (Reviving the Religious Sciences), written in the 11th–12th century. It belongs to the fourth quarter of the work, The Saving Virtues, and is the fourth book of that quarter. It asks a hard question: what is the right relationship between a believer and the wealth of this world? The answer turns on two words, faqr (poverty) and zuhd (asceticism), and on the idea that detachment from the world is itself a spiritual practice.
The seven chapters move from principle to practice. Al-Ghazālī begins with the virtue of poverty in general, then turns to the particular virtues of the poor who are content, patient and sincere. He sets out the degree of wealth that makes asking forbidden. A further chapter applies renunciation to food, clothing, housing, furnishings and ways of life. He then describes the signs of genuine asceticism, and closes with the virtue of reliance on God.
The book opens with a long praise of God and a striking image. To the sincere servant whose insight has been lit by wisdom, the outward face of the world looks like a beautiful woman, swaying and scheming, while its inner truth is an ugly hag who sets snares on the paths of men. That image sets the tone: the reader is asked to look past the surface of wealth and comfort and to ask what it does to the heart.
Is there an English audiobook of Poverty & Asceticism?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Book 34: Poverty and Asceticism as an English audiobook (about 4 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It covers faqr (poverty) and zuhd (asceticism), the signs of genuine asceticism, and the relationship between worldly poverty and spiritual wealth.
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?
Seven chapters: the virtue of poverty in general, the virtues of the poor who are content, patient and sincere, the degree of wealth that makes asking forbidden, renunciation in food, clothing, housing and ways of life, the signs of asceticism, and the virtue of reliance. The whole book runs about 4 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.
