Practical guidance for living Islam day to day: prayer that feels alive, du’a, remembrance, good character, family, learning and how to treat people. These summaries cover classics such as al-Ghazali’s Beginning of Guidance, Ibn Abi al-Dunya’s books on patience, forbearance and fulfilling people’s needs, al-Zarnuji’s guide to learning, Ibn al-Qayyim’s Prophetic Medicine and Ibn Taymiyyah’s collection of daily supplications, alongside modern books on du’a and the Muslim mindset. Every summary turns a long book into a set of short audio and text chapters with clear lessons you can act on the same day. Browse the list below, open any book to read a free preview chapter, and listen to the full summary in the Islam Central app.
Books with free chapters in the Islam Central app.
A practical, heartfelt guide to du’a as a relationship with Allah, covering its manners, best times, and how to understand every answer, yes, no or not yet.
23 chapters · 1 h 11 min.jpg)
A collection of 30 short, powerful prayers from the righteous predecessors that teach you how to ask Allah for what truly matters.
30 chapters · 1 h 29 minTimeless texts by the great scholars, summarised in plain modern language.
Al-Ghazali’s Beginning of Guidance, a step-by-step plan for a day lived for Allah, from waking to sleeping, with guidance on guarding the senses and the heart.
12 chapters · 35 min
Al-Zarnuji’s Ta’lim al-Muta’allim, the classic guide for students on intention, choosing teachers, effort, respect for knowledge and how to remember what you learn.
12 chapters · 36 min
Ibn al-Jawzi’s lessons on the value of time, with stories of scholars and righteous people who refused to waste a single day.
12 chapters · 34 min
Ibn al-Qayyim’s guide to the inner meanings of prayer, from washing to the final salam, showing how every movement can become a living conversation with Allah.
13 chapters · 41 min
Ibn Taymiyyah’s al-Kalim al-Tayyib, a pocket collection of the Prophet’s remembrances for every moment of the day, from waking to sleeping.
13 chapters · 41 min
Ibn al-Imam’s guide to du’a, the believer’s weapon: its manners, the times and places when it is accepted, and the comprehensive prayers of the Prophet.
13 chapters · 40 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya’s collection on patience and its reward, gathering hadith and stories of the patient who were paid without measure.
16 chapters · 41 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya’s collection on relief after hardship, with verses, hadith and true stories of people saved from distress, reminding the believer that ease is always near.
16 chapters · 37 min
Ibn Ata’illah’s guide to the remembrance of Allah, explaining how dhikr moves from the tongue to the heart and how to bring life back to prayers and words that feel empty.
12 chapters · 37 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya’s collection on sadness and grief, showing how sorrow for the right reasons cleans sins, softens the heart and leads the believer home to Allah.
16 chapters · 34 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya’s collection of narrations on illness and its rewards, teaching that sickness wipes away sins, keeps good deeds counting, and draws the patient believer closer to Allah.
15 chapters · 40 min
A gentle guide for the bereaved by the Damascene scholar al-Manbiji, offering Qur’anic remedies, Prophetic teachings and stories of the righteous to help the grieving heart find patience and hope.
16 chapters · 58 min
A consolation written for a grieving friend, gathering the Prophetic teachings and early Muslim stories that comfort parents who have lost a child and turn grief into patient hope.
24 chapters · 1 h 11 min
True stories of people whose prayers were answered immediately, from the three men in the cave to the man in rags who brought rain, and the secret behind answered prayers.
12 chapters · 37 min
Al-Ghazali’s ‘Precious Pearl’ on the Hereafter: the last breath, the soul’s journey, the questions of the grave, the rising, the long standing, intercession, the Scale and mercy at the end.
13 chapters · 38 min
A guided meditation on the Hereafter: imagine your last moment, the rising, standing before your Lord, the gates of Paradise and the greatest gift, seeing Allah.
12 chapters · 38 min
Imam al-Haddad’s map of the five lives every person passes through: before birth, this world, the grave, the Day of Rising, and the eternal home.
12 chapters · 38 min
How the righteous prepared for and faced death with steadfastness: patience at loss, answering doubts, last words of the pious, and getting ready for the meeting with Allah.
12 chapters · 36 min
Narrations describing Paradise: its gates, levels, rivers, food, the market of Friday, eternal youth and the greatest gift of all, seeing Allah.
13 chapters · 37 min
Narrations on the benefits and balance of solitude: protecting your faith and time, choosing good company, and finding company in the Qur’an.
12 chapters · 33 min
Hadith and stories on forbearance (hilm): self-control in anger, answering ignorance with peace, and why the calm person is the truly strong one.
12 chapters · 37 min
The first book devoted to getting along with people: tact, gentleness, a welcoming face and peacemaking, without compromising your principles.
12 chapters · 38 min
Narrations on the virtue of meeting people’s needs: why helping others brings Allah’s help, outweighs extra worship, and turns you into the answer to someone’s prayer.
12 chapters · 31 min
Entertaining true stories of clever prophets, judges, women, Bedouins and scholars who solved impossible problems with quick wit and wisdom.
12 chapters · 36 min
Hadith and stories on caring for family: why every coin spent on dependants is charity, the virtue of raising daughters, fairness between children and mercy at home.
12 chapters · 34 min
A 12th-century ‘mirror for princes’ written for rulers in crisis, using stories and fables to teach five consolations: trust in Allah, perspective, patience, contentment and letting go.
11 chapters · 33 min
True stories from the early Islamic centuries of judges, caliphs, poets and ordinary people whose generosity, forgiveness and honesty astonished those around them.
11 chapters · 33 min
Al-Muhasibi on earning a living with trust in Allah: why the prophets worked, what scrupulousness means, how to handle doubtful matters, and why clean bread purifies every deed.
13 chapters · 31 min
Al-Muhasibi explains what the intellect really is: an inner light, a power to understand, and above all the insight to grasp the greatness of Allah and live by it.
13 chapters · 31 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's collection on friendship for the sake of Allah: its reward, how to choose a companion, telling friends you love them, visiting, and sharing generously before they ask.
13 chapters · 36 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's collection on gratitude: how the prophets and early Muslims saw Allah's blessings everywhere, thanked Him with every limb, and guarded against blessings that lead away from Him.
13 chapters · 32 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's collection on certainty: what it is, how it differs from faith, how it makes hardship light and the heart rich, and why the righteous never stopped asking Allah for it.
12 chapters · 32 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's great collection on the true worth of this world: why the Prophet lived like a rider under a tree, what he feared for his community, and how to use the world without being owned by it.
13 chapters · 31 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's collection on the tongue: giving up arguments, what backbiting really is, why tale-bearing and two faces are so grave, and how to defend those who are absent.
13 chapters · 29 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's collection on long hope: why the heart assumes there is always more time, how the early Muslims kept their hopes short, and why 'later' is so dangerous.
13 chapters · 30 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's collection on repentance: how small sins gather, what true repentance is, Allah's joy when a servant returns, and why the door stays open until the very end.
13 chapters · 31 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's collection of last words: the Prophet's final hours, caliphs and kings facing death, the righteous between hope and fear, and the lesson to live now as we will wish we had.
13 chapters · 32 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's guide to the ten noble traits named by A'ishah: modesty, truthfulness, courage, kinship, trust, loyalty to companions and neighbours, repaying kindness and open-handed generosity.
13 chapters · 34 min
Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi's parables from the Qur'an, the Prophet and his own reflection: the lamp in the niche, the citron and the colocynth, the man who sold his house, the runaway servants and the three wineskins.
13 chapters · 37 min
Ibn Hazm answers his friends' questions: how sins are erased, what counts as a major sin, the easy deeds with heavy rewards, ten ranks in the next life, useful knowledge, answered prayer, and the four kinds of repentance.
13 chapters · 36 min
Al-Ghazali exposes the quiet self-deceptions of scholars, worshippers, the wealthy and spiritual seekers: knowledge without action, outward piety over a sick heart, misplaced priorities, and charity for show.
13 chapters · 28 min
Ibn al-Jawzi's Baghdad sermons in short, vivid lines: the four things that break a person, health and free time, the heirs of the prophets, humility, the wisdom of death, repentance, and seizing the season before the market closes.
13 chapters · 33 min
Ibn Ata Allah explains Abu Madyan's poem on righteous companionship: choosing friends who lead you to Allah, silence, humility, seeing your own faults, generosity and honouring your teachers.
12 chapters · 29 min
Ibn Taymiyyah's essays on true asceticism and worship: freedom from desire and the love of status, love for Allah's sake, real zuhd, purifying the soul, beautiful patience and the weight of intentions.
13 chapters · 40 min
Ibn Taymiyyah shows from the Qur'an that trusting Allah truly brings benefit and protection, that causes are part of the decree, and that our greatest need is daily guidance.
12 chapters · 34 min
Ibn Taymiyyah on true gratitude: every blessing comes from Allah alone, gratitude leads to knowing and loving Him, and the believer lives between thanks for blessings and repentance for sins.
12 chapters · 36 min
Al-Dhahabi walks through the fields of Islamic learning and exposes the counterfeit mixed into each: showing off, pride, love of position and knowledge without practice.
12 chapters · 34 min
Ibn Rajab explains the three causes of forgiveness in a famous hadith: calling on Allah with hope, seeking His forgiveness, and meeting Him with pure belief in His oneness.
12 chapters · 32 min
Ibn Rajab's warning of the Fire: why Allah describes it, the right measure of fear, the tears and deeds that shield from it, the bridge over it, and the mercy that has the last word.
13 chapters · 30 min
Ahmad Zarruq's practical guide built on 'religion is sincere counsel': true repentance, guarding the tongue, ears and eyes, curing the heart's hidden diseases, and serving Allah's Book and people.
12 chapters · 28 min
Al-Suyuti gathers seventy deeds that earn Allah's shade on the Day of Judgement, from the famous seven to easing debts, feeding the hungry and comforting the grieving, grading every report.
12 chapters · 26 min
Al-Suyuti's good news about death for believers and the grieving: angels at the deathbed, the soul's welcome, the questioning, the grave as a garden, and where the souls rest.
12 chapters · 26 min
Al-Suyuti gathers the sayings of the Prophet, his companions, sages and poets on silence: why it saves, how the early believers trained for it, and when speaking is better.
12 chapters · 26 min
Al-Khattabi explains when stepping back from people protects your faith: the prophets and companions who withdrew, the gifts of solitude, choosing companions, and the balanced middle way.
12 chapters · 37 min
Written beside the Kaaba, al-Zamakhshari's hundred golden counsels warn against pride, greed and a careless tongue, and call to sincerity, contentment, balance and readiness for the journey ahead.
12 chapters · 38 min
A guide to Islamic marriage from a work attributed to al-Suyuti: the virtue and benefits of marriage, its dangers, choosing a spouse for faith and character, the rights of husband and wife, the wedding feast, and welcoming and raising children.
13 chapters · 28 min
Ibn Hazm's classic of Muslim Spain on the nature of love: a meeting of souls, its kinds and signs, love at first sight and love that grows slowly, loyalty and betrayal, parting, and the beauty of chastity.
13 chapters · 28 min
Al-Jahiz on homesickness and friendship: why the heart longs for the land it grew up in, stories of exiles, Bedouins and kings, and how true affection is born and kept.
12 chapters · 48 min
The first part of al-Tanukhi's classic Relief After Hardship: the Qur'an's promise of ease, the Prophet's prayers for distress, and true stories of people whose prayers were answered.
12 chapters · 49 min
Al-Tawhidi's classic anthology on friendship: what a true friend is, how to find and test one, what friends owe each other, and how to forgive, rebuke and keep faith.
12 chapters · 48 min
Al-Raghib al-Isbahani on when to mix and when to withdraw, why we love, what true friendship is, how to choose a friend, and how to keep one.
12 chapters · 49 min
Ibn Hibban's guide to living with people: winning hearts, choosing and keeping true brothers, forgiving, keeping secrets, giving advice, hosting guests and showing gratitude.
12 chapters · 50 min
Ibn Hibban's classic on wisdom: what true reason looks like, and the character it produces, from silence, truth and humility to contentment, patience and generosity.
12 chapters · 49 min
Al-Mawardi's guide to everyday life: keeping family ties and true friends, giving well, earning and spending wisely, and mastering pride, anger and the tongue.
12 chapters · 49 min
Al-Mawardi's classic guide to a balanced life begins with the mind: how reason restrains desire, how to seek and teach knowledge, and why worship is a mercy.
12 chapters · 46 min
Ibn Rajab explains the Prophet's warning that greed for wealth and status ravages faith like two hungry wolves in a flock, and shows the honour that lasts.
12 chapters · 38 min
Ibn Rajab draws the line between sincere advice and shaming: when correcting people is right, why the great scholars welcomed correction, why advice belongs in private, and what happens to those who expose others.
12 chapters · 38 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's collection of stories about people who seemed to die and came back, voices heard from graves, visions at the edge of death and the revivals told in the Quran, each carrying a lesson for how we live now.
13 chapters · 35 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya on the length of life and the meaning of grey hair: why a long life is only a blessing when it is filled with good deeds, how the righteous welcomed old age, and why every remaining hour is worth guarding.
13 chapters · 29 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya on the beauty of being humble and the safety of being unknown: avoiding fame, carrying your own things, simple dress, good character, and the danger of even a mustard seed of pride.
13 chapters · 29 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya on contentment: keeping one's dignity by not asking people, turning every need to Allah, trusting that provision is written, and the true richness of a contented soul.
13 chapters · 29 min
Ibn Abi al-Dunya's classic collection on money: earning it lawfully, its blessings and dangers, looking after it, honest work and trade, moderation in food and clothing, and the wealth of a contented heart.
13 chapters · 28 min
Ibn al-Jawzi's short book on kindness to parents: their unrepayable right, the manners of a dutiful child, stories of the early Muslims, the sin of undutifulness, honouring parents after death, and keeping family ties.
13 chapters · 31 min
Ibn al-Jawzi on the public speakers of his day: the value of sincere reminders, who has the right to preach, the traps of fame and money, invented stories, theatrics, and how to speak to hearts.
13 chapters · 39 min
Ibn al-Jawzi's cure for desire: holding yourself to account, patience, the lowered gaze, marriage, cutting off hope, and stories of those who remembered Allah and turned away.
13 chapters · 33 min
Ibn al-Jawzi diagnoses why desire rules us: the contest between reason and desire, the heart and its rust, the power of the gaze, and how love can turn into a prison.
13 chapters · 38 min
Ibn al-Qayyim's gift to parents: welcoming a newborn with the Prophetic sunnah, choosing a good name, showing mercy, and the duty to teach, train and understand each child.
13 chapters · 28 minContemporary books by today’s authors and teachers.
Ibn Abi al-Dunya’s collection on contentment with Allah’s decree (rida), with stories of the Prophet, the Companions and the pious who found peace in what Allah chose for them.
16 chapters · 37 min.jpg)
An essential, step-by-step handbook designed specifically for converts, covering everything from the foundations of belief to the practical details of daily worship
37 chapters · 47 min.jpg)
A comprehensive philosophical and theological defense of Islam, dismantling the arguments of New Atheism while establishing the rational foundations of belief
15 chapters · 2 h 5 min.jpg)
A powerful commentary on 40 Hadiths that define the Muslim obligation to uphold justice, defending the rights of the vulnerable in the modern world
40 chapters · 3 h 33 min.jpg)
A practical roadmap for overcoming negativity and depression by realigning your mindset with the optimistic resilience of the Prophetic example
10 chapters · 2 h 30 min.jpg)
The definitive guide to Traditional Islamically Integrated Psychotherapy (TIIP) for mental health professionals and students
9 chapters · 2 h 47 min.jpg)
A comprehensive and lucid guide to the fundamental beliefs, rituals, and social system of Islam
6 chapters · 2 h 22 min.jpg)
Navigate the intellectual clash between Western and Islamic values with this guide to maintaining faith in the modern world
4 chapters · 2 h 22 min.jpg)
Master the art of patience and gratitude to find inner peace and spiritual strength
17 chapters · 1 h 40 min.jpg)
Master the spiritual psychology of your heart with Imam Al-Ghazali’s classic guide to the soul.
15 chapters · 1 h 56 min.jpg)
Master the logical defense of Islam against atheism with this comprehensive guide
6 chapters · 2 h 21 min.jpg)
Reclaim 1,400 years of forgotten Muslim heritage and civilization in this engaging history
11 chapters · 3 h 20 min.jpg)
Explore the intersection of Islamic tradition, modern science, and philosophy with Muhammad Iqbal
6 chapters · 2 h 12 min.jpg)
Unveil the spiritual wisdom and social power of Islam’s four fundamental pillars
4 chapters · 2 h 50 min.jpg)
Illuminate your path on the Day of Judgment with deeds that bring shelter and light.
30 chapters · 1 h 30 min.jpg)
Discover how the rise and fall of Muslims shaped the history and destiny of the world
8 chapters · 1 h 12 min.jpg)
Transform mechanical rituals into heart-centered worship with Imam Al-Ghazali’s essential guide.
7 chapters · 1 h 4 minQur’anic StudiesSpiritualityThe Prophet ﷺ & the CompanionsWomen in Islam
Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali booksIbn Ata’illah al-Iskandari booksIbn al-Jawzi booksIbn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah booksIbn Taymiyyah booksIbn Abi al-Dunya booksImam ‘Abdallah ibn Alawi al-Haddad booksOmar Suleiman booksal-Harith al-Muhasibi booksal-Hakim al-Tirmidhi booksIbn Hazm booksIbn Rajab al-Hanbali booksAhmad Zarruq booksJalal al-Din al-Suyuti booksal-Raghib al-Isbahani booksIbn Hibban booksal-Mawardi books
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