Zayn al-Din Abu Hamid Muhammad bin Muhammad al-Ghazali (d.1111 AD), Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din, The Revival of Religious Sciences, volume IV, al-Munjiat, 'The Ways of Salvation', copied by Ahmad bin Muhammad bin 'Abdullah bin 'Abad bin Muhammad bin 'Abdallah, probably Syria or Egypt, dated 631 AH/1233-4 AD.

Arabic manuscript on polished cream paper, 131 leaves, 30 lines to the page written in small naskh script in black and red ink, some phrases underlined, later black leather binding with stamped foliate and cloudband-decorated cartouches

In good overall condition, later binding with repairs to spine, rubbing and abrasions, opening leaf with paper repairs, and some further repairs to the paper edges towards the end of the manuscript, some occasional smudges and water stains, but generally pages are clean and ink bold, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The manuscript was in the library of the Safavid Prince, Sultan Husayn (later Shah Sultan Husayn, r.1105-35 AH/1695-1722 AD) and the description of the manuscript might be in his own hand (rather undeveloped). The note contains the information that the fourth volume of Ihya-ye 'ulum by Ghazali, copied by Muhammad Ibn 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abad Ibn Muhammad on Dawlat-abadi paper and the cover with an ogival shamsa entered the library on 15 rabi' al-thani 1105 AH/1693 AD). His seal, when he was a prince, of oblong with cut corners is under the note. The note was written about 8 months before his coronation on 14 dhi'l-hajja 1105 AH/1964 AD.

Other notes include a possession note of the vizier Muhammad Pasha Najm al-Din son of the deceased Muhammad Amin with no date and a note by Muhammad Ibn Jarullah with his tughra.

Born in 1058 AD in the Iranian province of Khurusan, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (given the honorific title hujjat al-Islam, 'the Proof of Islam') was one of the greatest jurist-theologians of the medieval Islamic period and a prolific author on the religious sciences. The present manuscript is approximately one quarter of his greatest and best-known work, Ihya' 'ulum al-din, or 'The Revival of the Religious Sciences', in which he attempted to integrate the major disciplines of Islamic religion - theology and law, ethics and mysticism. It comprises ten books in within four quarters; 'ibadat (religious duties); 'adat (social duties); al-muhlikat (what leads to damnation) and al-munjiat (what leads to salvation).

Al-Ghazali composed this work  which covers Fiqh, Kalam and Sufism during the last five years of his life, so this copy can be considered an early copy of this work copied around 120 years after his death. There are at least 9 copies in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, see A. Arberry, A Handlist of the Arabic Manuscripts, Dublin, 1956, volume II, p. 45, no. 3353. Also see Brockelmann i. 422, Suppl. i. 748.