In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
An excellent text dealing with the subject matter of Invocations and Supplications by the great Imam al-Ghazali, who is arguably one of the greatest and best thinkers in the history of Islam and by extension in the history of humankind. The text serves well anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of Muslim devotional activities, amongst which are counted the acts of Invocating and Supplicating to God; Imam al-Ghazali takes little time in explaining the great number of merits and benefit entailed in Invoking and Supplicating to God, building a framework upon which he bases the remaining three chapters of this book, which in itself is book nine of his Magnum Opus the Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya’ ulum ad-Din). The translation reads and flows well, and making it an enjoyable read; the translators introduction to the text is an invaluable addition giving the reader a context and framework within which to understand this particular text. The remaining chapters of the book (last three) give a relevant yet comprehensive coverage of various transmitted prayers, each of these prayers lends itself nicely to an hours quite contemplation - this text is highly recommended reading for any aspirant who wishes to draw closer to the Divine, an aid to reaching his/her goal - Allah! It’s exactly with this in mind, that Imam al-Ghazali has penned this work, the relevancy, urgency and sufficiency of al-Ghazali in relation to the subject-matter at hand comes across well. The only drawback to serving al-Ghazali’s exhortations is that the text lacks the accompanying Arabic of the various supplications mentioned - this would be an invaluable addition to any revised editions of this text, including a few appendices of the Arabic would be much appreciated and welcomed by the readership and would serve to fulfil the practical ambiitons of Imam al-Ghazali's exhortations - all in all, an excellent read all round and a must for any Muslim household.