The lesson of the righteous

Author's name: Taqi al-Din Ahmad bin Ali bin Abdulqader al-Maqrizi Publishing house: Al-Masriah Al-Lubnaniah for Publishing and Distribution Year of publication: 2025 Literary classification: History Brief about the book: The admonition of the Sunnis with the news of the imams and caliphs by Taqi al-Din Ahmad bin Ali bin Abdulqader al-Maqrizi, and it is the most important encyclopedia that deals with the history of the Fatimid state, which represents the only Shia caliphate in the history of the Islamic state, from the period of concealment that began after the death of Imam Jaafar Al-Sadiq, in 148 AH/765 AD, until the peaceful coup led by Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub in 567 AH/1171 AD, the last vizier of the Fatimids in Egypt, which ended this state after it lasted more than two hundred years, and returned Egypt once again to the heart of the Sunni Islamic world. The book — issued in two volumes with luxurious printing — is significant in studying the history of the Fatimid state; its author relied in his writing on the most important contemporary sources or those written shortly after the fall of the state, especially during its Egyptian period, whose original sources are now lost, but al-Maqrizi preserved lengthy texts from them, which are the only texts through which we can re-read the history of this state from its original sources. The book methodically covers the history of the Fatimid state from its early origins during the period of concealment until the declaration of the Fatimid caliphate in Ifriqiya (present-day Tunisia), then its transfer to Egypt with the leader Jawhar al-Siqilli and Imam al-Muizz li-Din Allah, until the fall of the state at the hands of Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub at the beginning of 567 AH/1171 AD. The book was authored by Dr. Ayman Fouad Said, one of the leading specialists in Fatimid history and the author of "The Fatimid State in Egypt – A New Interpretation," who has produced many original texts on Fatimid history. The book was enriched with numerous scholarly footnotes and references to primary sources and recent Arab and foreign studies. It was published by the Egyptian-Lebanese House in Cairo in an elegant, luxurious edition, celebrating forty years since its establishment, as part of its contribution to enriching the Arab library with many important studies by prominent Arab authors and researchers.