The Advent of the Fatimids: A Contemporary Shi'I Witness

This work is a personal memoir composed by a medieval scholar in which he records details of his discourse with two Ismaili leaders who spearheaded the Fatimid revolution in North Africa in 909-10. By reporting at first hand the thoughts and activities of Abu `Abdallah al-Shi'i and his brother Abu'l-Abbas over a period of seven months, Ibn al-Haytham in his "Kitab al-Munazarat" (The Book of Discussions) provides an insider's view to our understanding of the foundations of the Fatimid state.