With The Arrangement of the Litanies and the Exposition of the Night Vigil, Imam al-Ghazali completes the first quarter of the Revival of the Religious Sciences, the Quarter of Worship, to be followed by the Quarters of Customs, Perils, and Deliverance. Were humankind but more acutely aware of life’s extreme brevity and the actual urgency of being constantly present to God, each day in our lives would necessarily be punctuated by a near continuous recitation of sacred litanies.

This volume, at the same time, highlights the mercy inherent in the division of the twenty-four hour day which allows people to engage in worship in diverse ways, even as they at-tend to work, study, families, other duties, and sleep. Just as the soul needs variety, so the times of day, with their various qualities and concomitant litanies, are a mercy for the soul, which would otherwise be burdened by boredom and monotony.

Al-Ghazali clarifies how gentleness and tenderness are incalculably more valuable and beneficial for the soul than the almost countless devotional activities in which one could engage. Consistency in an act is better than rigorous practices that tire the soul resulting in inconstancy. In his treatment of the night vigil, al-Ghazālī holds that one of the litanies of the night is sleep itself, and the essence of the night vigil in particular is intimate conversation with God, the Beloved.

The mercy of the sunna explored in this book takes into ac-count the various types of people, their callings, their paths in life, and their abilities.

Al-Ghazali: The Arrangement of the Litanies and the Exposition of the Night Vigil – Book 10