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What is Book 7 of the Iḥyāʾ?
The Mysteries of Pilgrimage, or the Book of the Secrets of Hajj, is Book 7 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. The book answers the question every pilgrim carries: what do these rites mean? Al-Ghazālī covers the pillars, conduct, etiquettes and virtues of Hajj, and then its secrets, so that the physical journey to Mecca becomes a picture of the soul's return to its Lord.
The audiobook has three chapters, the first in two parts. Chapter 1, Part 1 gives the virtues of Hajj, of Mecca and of Medina. Chapter 1, Part 2 sets out the conditions and pillars of Hajj. Chapter 2 walks through the outward acts of Hajj, the rites from the ihram to the tawaf. Chapter 3 is on subtle manners and inner deeds, the part that gives the book its name: what the heart should be doing while the body travels, stands and circles.
It opens with praise of Allah, who made the Ancient House, the Ka'bah, a refuge for people and a sanctuary of safety, and made its visitation and circumambulation a barrier between the servant and punishment. Al-Ghazālī then calls Hajj the worship of a lifetime, the culmination of deeds and the completion of Islam, quoting the verse "Today I have perfected your religion for you." He promises to explain its pillars, conduct, etiquettes, virtues and secrets in detail. The listener is asked to treat the journey as the act of worship that completes the religion.
Is there an English audiobook of The Mysteries of Pilgrimage?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Book 7: The Mysteries of Pilgrimage as an English audiobook (about 3 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It reveals the inner meanings of every rite of Hajj, from the ihram to the tawaf, and shows how the pilgrimage mirrors the soul's return to its Lord.
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?
The virtues of Hajj, Mecca and Medina; the conditions and pillars of Hajj; the outward acts of Hajj; and the subtle manners and inner deeds of the pilgrim. 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.
