(1) Ibn Khallikan cites al-Musabbihi’s own description of this work: “It records the history of Egypt and those who ruled or resided in it—governors, princes, imams, caliphs—together with its marvels and monuments, the varieties of its food, a discussion of the Nile, the lives of the poets who dwelt there, reports on singers, the sessions of judges, the ḥākim, certifiers of testimony, men of letters, amatory poets, and others.” Ibn Khallikan adds that the work fills thirteen thousand folios. Haji Khalifa states that it is “a large book in twelve volumes; it was abridged by Taqi al-Din al-Fasi, and supplemented by Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Maysar.” A manuscript copy is preserved in the Escorial Library, Arabic collection no. 543/2. (2) A list of some of his writings may be found in: Wafayat al-aʿyan 4/377–378; al-Wafi bi-l-wafayat 4/8; Hadiyat al-ʿarifin 2/63–64. (3) His birth took place on 10 Rajab 366 AH; see Wafayat al-aʿyan 4/379. (4) Among his verses lamenting the death of the mother of his child: “Alas, a heart torn asunder in the cause of God, an affliction that has left the eyes bereft of tears. How can I endure when the earth has claimed my beloved? By God, what grief—so harsh, so painful! Would that I had preceded her in death, or that death had taken us both together.” See Wafayat al-aʿyan 4/378 and al-Wafi 4/8. (5) For his full biography, consult Wafayat al-aʿyan 4/379.