Wadh.Minasian 41 (The Ferdowsi Library, Wadham College, University of Oxford)

Summary of Contents: Abū al-Ḥasan Bahāʾ al-Dīn ʿAlī ibn ʿĪsá ibn abī al-Fatḥ Hakkārī was a hadith scholar, poet, and literary figure of the Imamiyyah faith in the 7th century AH. He has several written works, including Kashf al-ghamah fī maʿrifat al-aʿimmat. This book provides a biographical account of the Prophet (PBUH), Fātimah and the twleve Imams. While writing the book, the author has taken a succinct approach. In each chapter, he first narrates some hadiths from the Sunnis and then proceeds to narrate some hadiths from the Shiite sources. At the end of each chapter, he adds some qasidas praising and remembering the subjected person. The book is composed in 12 chapters to follow the number of the 12 Imams. It has two parts, in the order of the names of the 14 Impeccables, beginning with Muḥammad and continuing with Fātimah and the Imams to finish with the twelveth Imam. Each chapter begins with the name and the date and place of birth, followed by a detailed biographical account. It proceeds to list instances of their virtues, miracles, and honours, followed by an account of their parentage, ancestry, and children. This work has been translated into Persian by ʿAlī ibn Ḥasan Zavvāraʼī under the title of Tarjumat al-Manāqib.