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What is The Garden of the Gnostics?
The Garden of the Gnostics, Bustan al-Arifin, is a work by Imam al-Nawawi, the 13th-century scholar known for the Forty Hadith, Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, and his commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, all written in a life of barely forty-four years. The 'gnostics' of the title are those whom Allah has chosen, admitting them into the ranks of the righteous and revealing the truth to those He loves. The question the book answers is what sets these people apart: what sincerity is, what worship looks like from the inside, and how the righteous came to their miraculous states. Al-Nawawi answers with the wisdom of the scholars and saints.
The book opens with praise of Allah, the One, the Almighty, the All-Forgiving, who decrees destiny, directs affairs, and rolls the night over the day as a sign for those with hearts and sight. He has awakened those He has chosen, instilling in them a detachment from this world, so that they strive to please Him, prepare for the abode of permanence, and fear the fire. From there al-Nawawi moves into his themes: sincerity, the inner dimensions of worship, the miraculous states of the righteous, and the sayings of the scholars and saints. At about 2.5 hours, it is a short work.
Is there an English audiobook of The Garden of the Gnostics?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete The Garden of the Gnostics as an English audiobook (about 2.5 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It is al-Nawawi's exploration of sincerity, the inner dimensions of worship, the miraculous states of the righteous, and the wisdom of the scholars and saints.
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 2.5 hours (2h 17m). It covers sincerity, the inner dimensions of worship, the miraculous states of the righteous, and the wisdom of the scholars and saints.
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.
