(The virtues and merits of the Holy Prophet and his Ahl-ul-Bayt A.S. )
The present book is among more than 90 books, which are entitled as Manāqib, written by dignified Islamic scholars. There are further hundreds of books written about the same subject, with different titles.
Amongst those who have written books about Manāqib (merits and virtues) of the Holy Prophet of Islam (S.A.) and his Household (A.S.), we can point to: Nasr son of Muzāhim, Ibn-e Betrīq Hellī, Tabarī, Alī son of Ibrāhīm Qummī, Khārazmī, Ibn-e-Shādhān, Sayyid-e Radhī, Muhaddith Bahrānī and Faydh Kāshānī.
All of these dignitaries who have tried their best to collect as much article as possible, have confessed their inability in complete perception of Ahl-ul-Bayt's virtues and divine position.
Among about 100 books entitled as Al-Manāqib, Ibn-e Shahr Āshūb's book can be accounted as one of the best, which has been praised by everyone.
Ibn-e Shahr-āshūb lived in sixth century Hegira during which Islamic science developed, Libraries flourished and a large number of scientific books were published. The number of books in the libraries of Baghdad and Hillah outnumbered 100,000 copies, which were accessible to scholars and authors. Manāqib-e Āl-e Abī-Tālib was also compiled in such an atmosphere, and was so highly reliable that both Shi'a and Sunnī Ulamā trusted in it and quoted its narrations with full confidence.
Abū Abdullāh Husain son of Jubair, who was a pupil of one of Ibn-e-Shahr Āshūb's students, abridged the noble book of Manāqib. This abridged version of Manāqib has been published under the title of Nukhab-ul-Manāqib Le Āl-e Abī-Tālib.
The present book is edited in 4 volumes, starting from the eulogistic biography of the Holy Prophet of Islam (S.A.) and ending to that of the eleventh Imām, Imām Hasan Askarī (A.S.).
The first volume is about the Holy Prophet of Islam (S.A.), which includes: good tidings (Bishārat) on his prophecy, his birth, his prophetic mission, wars, etc. A discussion on Imamate of twelve infallible Imāms(A.S.) as well as their qualifications are next topic of the volume.
The second volume discusses about Amīr-ul-Mu'minīn's(A.S.) divine stations, virtues, miraculous excellences, and his judgments. Furthermore, the persecutions and afflictions from which the Ahl-ul-Bayt(A.S.) suffered, are chronologically exposed in this volume.
The third volume begins with the Holy Prophet's Hadīths (Traditions) about Imām Alī's successive Imamate. Some issues about Imam Ali's braveries and spiritual virtues, his high position in the Day of Resurrection, his superiority to all prophets (except the Holy Prophet of Islam S.A.), plus his biography have been mentioned in some other chapters.
Then, the excellence, virtues, and biography of Seddīqah Kubrā Hazrat-e Zahrā (S.A.) have been pictured. Finally there is a discussion about the Imamate of Hazrt-e Zahrā's infallible descendants.
The fourth volume deals with the excellence, virtues, and biographies of the rest of infallible Imāms up to the eleventh Imām, which leads to the end of the book.
The volume of the book is almost the same as that of available manuscripts whose dates of writing go back to the year 777 Hegira.
But as Sheikh Āqā Buzurg-e-Tehrānī pointed out, the volume of the book had been much more, some parts of which have been lost during passage of time. There are some evidences for Sheikh's claim: one of them is that the book doesn't include the biography of the 12th Imām (Mahdi, Aj.F.), or any reference to his occultation and/or specified representatives after his occultation.
Also there are some issues, for which Ibn-e Shahr-Āshūb -- in his other compilations -- has asked his readers to refer to his Manāqib, but cannot be traced in its present copies.
Sheikh Muhammad Husain Dānish Āshtīanī and Sayyid Hāshim Rasūlī Mahallātī were in charge of revision of Manāqib, as well as comparison to other manuscripts.
There is no good introduction and table of contents in the present copy, and consequently it is of an average quality from printing point of view.