Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Revival of the Religious Sciences #9

Al-Ghazali on Invocations & Supplications

Rate this book
Written by Abu Hamid Ghazali in the 11th century, �The Revival of the Religious Sciences” is one of the most authoritative texts in Islamic religious literature. Offering a deeper understanding of Islam and its practices, this record contains the only English translation of an essential section from this magnum opus. Admired for the author’s analytical approach and detailed exploration of the psychological and spiritual effects of prayer, this compendium will not only interest academics, but also Muslims who wish to recite the prayers in the original Arabic.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

9 people are currently reading
592 people want to read

About the author

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

786 books2,951 followers
أبو حامد الغزالي

Muslim theologian and philosopher Abu Hamid al-Ghazali of Persia worked to systematize Sufism, Islamic mysticism, and in The Incoherence of the Philosophers (1095) argued the incompatibility of thought of Plato and Aristotle with Islam.

Born in 1058, Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī ranked of the most prominent and influential Sunni jurists of his origin.

Islamic tradition considers him to be a Mujaddid, a renewer of the faith who, according to the prophetic hadith, appears once every century to restore the faith of the ummah ("the Islamic Community"). His works were so highly acclaimed by his contemporaries that al-Ghazali was awarded the honorific title "Proof of Islam" (Hujjat al-Islam).

Al-Ghazali believed that the Islamic spiritual tradition had become moribund and that the spiritual sciences taught by the first generation of Muslims had been forgotten.[24] That resulted in his writing his magnum opus entitled Ihya 'ulum al-din ("The Revival of the Religious Sciences"). Among his other works, the Tahāfut al-Falāsifa ("Incoherence of the Philosophers") is a significant landmark in the history of philosophy, as it advances the critique of Aristotelian science developed later in 14th-century Europe.

أبو حامد محمد الغزّالي الطوسي النيسابوري الصوفي الشافعي الأشعري، أحد أعلام عصره وأحد أشهر علماء المسلمين في القرن الخامس الهجري،(450 هـ - 505 هـ / 1058م - 1111م). كان فقيهاً وأصولياً وفيلسوفاً، وكان صوفيّ الطريقةِ، شافعيّ الفقهِ إذ لم يكن للشافعية في آخر عصره مثلَه.، وكان على مذهب الأشاعرة في العقيدة، وقد عُرف كأحد مؤسسي المدرسة الأشعرية في علم الكلام، وأحد أصولها الثلاثة بعد أبي الحسن الأشعري، (وكانوا الباقلاني والجويني والغزّالي) لُقّب الغزالي بألقاب كثيرة في حياته، أشهرها لقب "حجّة الإسلام"، وله أيضاً ألقاب مثل: زين الدين، ومحجّة الدين، والعالم الأوحد، ومفتي الأمّة، وبركة الأنام، وإمام أئمة الدين، وشرف الأئمة.
كان له أثرٌ كبيرٌ وبصمةٌ واضحةٌ في عدّة علوم مثل الفلسفة، والفقه الشافعي، وعلم الكلام، والتصوف، والمنطق، وترك عدداَ من الكتب في تلك المجالات.ولد وعاش في طوس، ثم انتقل إلى نيسابور ليلازم أبا المعالي الجويني (الملقّب بإمام الحرمين)، فأخذ عنه معظم العلوم، ولمّا بلغ عمره 34 سنة، رحل إلى بغداد مدرّساً في المدرسة النظامية في عهد الدولة العباسية بطلب من الوزير السلجوقي نظام الملك. في تلك الفترة اشتُهر شهرةً واسعةً، وصار مقصداً لطلاب العلم الشرعي من جميع البلدان، حتى بلغ أنه كان يجلس في مجلسه أكثر من 400 من أفاضل الناس وعلمائهم يستمعون له ويكتبون عنه العلم. وبعد 4 سنوات من التدريس قرر اعتزال الناس والتفرغ للعبادة وتربية نفسه، متأثراً بذلك بالصّوفية وكتبهم، فخرج من بغداد خفيةً في رحلة طويلة بلغت 11 سنة، تنقل خلالها بين دمشق والقدس والخليل ومكة والمدينة المنورة، كتب خلالها كتابه المشهور إحياء علوم الدين كخلاصة لتجربته الروحية، عاد بعدها إلى بلده طوس متخذاً بجوار بيته مدرسةً للفقهاء، وخانقاه (مكان للتعبّد والعزلة) للصوفية.


Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
58 (68%)
4 stars
19 (22%)
3 stars
5 (5%)
2 stars
1 (1%)
1 star
2 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Muberra.
78 reviews62 followers
June 28, 2016
The prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) said, 'When a man commits a sin and says, "O God, forgive me!" God says, "My servant has committed a sin. But he knows that he has a Lord Who takes off the sin and forgives it. O My servant, do what you want. For I have already forgiven you!"

This books is just something else. ♡
Profile Image for Wayfarer.
100 reviews112 followers
February 1, 2010
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.
Profile Image for Iroda Toirova.
57 reviews5 followers
July 19, 2025
“Bizdan avval oʻtgan solihlar odati” - Abdulhamid Zayriev tomonidan yozilgan kitob tugatildi.
Kitob G’azzoliy hazratlarining Tahajjud haqidagi kitoblaridan olingan xulosalar asosida yozilgan ekan.
Asarning yozilish saviyasi ayniqsa yoqdi. Soʻz va gaplar hamohang, chiroyli yozilgan.
Profile Image for sara.
59 reviews12 followers
April 24, 2007
excellent collection of (as the title says) invocations and supplications (dhikr and dua) ...just wish the arabic was given as well...
7 reviews1 follower
August 13, 2008
Wish the du'as were in Arabic as well. Still a good book to have though.
4 reviews4 followers
August 4, 2013
This book is incredible, really goes in dept on how to make dua with sincerity. Contains excellent dual and dhikr. It's a must have book to get close to god.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.