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What is Book 6 of the Iḥyāʾ?
The Book of Fasting, or the Book of the Secrets of Fasting, is Book 6 of Imam al-Ghazālī's Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn, in the first quarter, the Acts of Worship. Al-Ghazālī wrote the Iḥyāʾ in the 11th–12th century. It is a short book that answers one question: what is fasting for? Al-Ghazālī gives the outward rules, then the inner secrets. He describes three grades of fasting and shows how abstaining from food and drink can become a gateway to divine proximity.
The audiobook has three chapters. Chapter 1 covers the obligations of the fast, its apparent sunnahs, and what is incumbent when a fast is nullified. Chapter 2 is the heart of the book: the secrets of fasting and its inward conditions. Chapter 3 deals with voluntary fasting and its order. The structure is simple: first what the law requires, then what the soul requires, then what the willing can add.
It opens by placing fasting at a quarter of faith: the Prophet ﷺ said that fasting is half of patience and patience is half of faith. Fasting is unique among acts of worship, al-Ghazālī says, because Allah tied it to Himself: every good deed is multiplied, "except fasting, for it is for Me, and I reward for it." He recalls the gate of Paradise called Al-Rayyan, which is for those who fast, and the two joys of the fasting person, one at breaking the fast and one at meeting their Lord. The listener is asked to fast for that meeting.
Is there an English audiobook of The Book of Fasting?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Book 6: The Book of Fasting as an English audiobook (about 40 minutes), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It covers the outward rules and inner secrets of fasting, the three grades of fasting, and how abstinence becomes a gateway to divine proximity.
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 40 minutes, in three chapters: the obligations, apparent sunnahs and what is incumbent when a fast is nullified; the secrets of fasting and its inward conditions; and voluntary fasting and its order.
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.
Hear the classical answer.
- How do I control my tongue? What did the scholars say about speech?
- What is the meaning of fasting (ṣawm)?
- What are the benefits of fasting outside of Ramadan?
- What is ijtihād? Can it still happen today?
- What did al-Ghazali say about the inner meaning of fasting?
- What does classical Islam say about speech in the age of social media?
