يُعَدُّ هذا الكتابُ موسوعةً تاريخيةً، وتأتي أهميته؛ لأنه ليس كتاب تاريخ وسيرة فقط، وإنما هو كتاب ترجمة، مصحوبة بتعديل وتجريح. ويقع الكتابُ في أربعة أجزاء، يبدأ جزؤه الأول بترجمة لأحمد بن محمد بن هارون أبي عبد الله الجسري، وينتهي جزؤه الأخير بترجمة لأحمد بن عيسى بن أبي غالب أبي العباس الأبروزي.
Abu al-Faraj Jamal al-Din Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hasan Ali Al-Jawzi also known as Ibn al-Jawzi (c. 1116 – 16 June 1201) (Arabic: ابن الجوزي) was a Muslim jurisconsult, preacher, orator, heresiographer, traditionist, historian, judge, hagiographer, and philologist who played an instrumental role in propagating the Hanbali school of orthodox Sunni jurisprudence in his native Baghdad during the twelfth-century. During "a life of great intellectual, religious and political activity," Ibn al-Jawzi came to be widely admired by his fellow Hanbalis for the tireless role he played in ensuring that that particular school – historically, the smallest of the four principal Sunni schools of law – enjoy the same level of "prestige" often bestowed by rulers on the Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanafi rites.
Ibn al-Jawzi received a "very thorough education" during his adolescent years, and was fortunate to train under some of that era's most renowned Baghdadi scholars, including Ibn al-Zāg̲h̲ūnī (d. 1133), Abū Bakr al-Dīnawarī (d. 1137–8), Sayyid Razzāq Alī Jīlānī (d. 1208), and Abū Manṣūr al-Jawālīkī (d. 1144–5). Although Ibn al-Jawzi's scholarly career continued to blossom over the next few years, he became most famous during the reign of al-Mustadi (d. 1180), the thirty-third Abbasid caliph, whose support for Hanbalism allowed Ibn al-Jawzi to effectively become "one of the most influential persons" in Baghdad, due to the caliph's approval of Ibn al-Jawzi's public sermonizing to huge crowds in both pastoral and urban areas throughout Baghdad. In the vast majority of the public sermons delivered during al-Mustadi's reign, Ibn al-Jawzi often presented a stanch defense of the prophet Muhammad's example, and vigorously criticized all those whom he considered to be schismatics in the faith. At the same time, Ibn al-Jawzi's reputation as a scholar continued to grow due to the substantial role he played in managing many of the most important universities in the area, as well as on account of the sheer number of works he wrote during this period. As regards the latter point, part of Ibn al-Jawzi's legacy rests on his reputation for having been "one of the most prolific writers" of all time. As scholars have noted, Ibn al-Jawzi's prodigious corpus, "varying in length" as it does, touches upon virtually "all the great disciplines" of classical Islamic study.
كعادة الكتابة عند المؤرخين المسلمين؛ البدء من بداية خلق الأرض والسماء ثم خلق الإنسان مرورا بذكر أخبار الأنبياء ليصل مع نهاية الجزء إلى الإسكندر الأكبر. لكنه بدأ بمقدمة مهمة عن منهجيته في الكتابة و ترتيب الكتاب وأهمية التاريخ ، فذكر أن التاريخ سلعة رائجة لدي عامة الناس وخاصتهم، ثم منهجه الذي رسمه لنفسه كي يجمع محاسن الذين سبقوه فيقول : "إني ﺭﺃﻳﺖ اﻟﻨﻔﻮﺱ ﺗﺸﺮﺋﺐ ﺇﻟﻰ ﻣﻌﺮﻓﺔ ﺑﺪاﻳﺎﺕ اﻷﺷﻴﺎء، ﻭﺗﺤﺐ ﺳﻤﺎﻉ ﺃﺧﺒﺎﺭ اﻷﻧﺒﻴﺎء، ﻭﺗﺤﻦ ﺇﻟﻰ ﻣﻄﺎﻟﻌﺔ ﺳﻴﺮ اﻟﻤﻠﻮﻙ ﻭاﻟﺤﻜﻤﺎء، ﻭﺗﺮﺗﺎﺡ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺫﻛﺮ ﻣﺎ ﺟﺮﻯ ﻟﻠﻘﺪﻣﺎء. ﻭﺭﺃﻳﺖ اﻟﻤﺆﺭﺧﻴﻦ ﻳﺨﺘﻠﻒ ﻣﻘﺎﺩﻫﻢ ﻓﻲ ﻫﺬﻩ اﻷﻧﺒﺎء، ﻓﻤﻨﻬﻢ ﻣﻦ ﻳﻘﺘﺼﺮ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺫﻛﺮ اﻷﻧﺒﻴﺎء اﻻﺑﺘﺪاء، ﻭﻣﻨﻬﻢ ﻣﻦ ﻳﻘﺘﺼﺮ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺫﻛﺮ اﻟﻤﻠﻮﻙ ﻭاﻟﺨﻠﻔﺎء، ﻭﺃﻫﻞ اﻷﺛﺮ ﻳﺆﺛﺮﻭﻥ ﺫﻛﺮ اﻟﻌﻠﻤﺎء، ﻭاﻟﺰﻫﺎﺩ ﻳﺤﺒﻮﻥ ﺃﺣﺎﺩﻳﺚ اﻟﺼﻠﺤﺎء، ﻭﺃﺭﺑﺎﺏ اﻷﺭﺏ ﻳﻤﻴﻠﻮﻥ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺃﻫﻞ اﻷﺩﺏ ﻭاﻟﺸﻌﺮاء. ﻭﻣﻌﻠﻮﻡ ﺃﻥ اﻟﻜﻞ ﻣﻄﻠﻮﺏ، ﻭاﻟﻤﺤﺬﻭﻑ ﻣﻦ ﺫﻟﻚ ﻣﺮﻏﻮﺏ، ﻓﺂﺗﻴﺘﻚ ﺑﻬﺬا اﻟﻜﺘﺎﺏ اﻟﺠﺎﻣﻊ ﻟﻐﺮﺽ ﻛﻞ ﺳﺎﻣﻊ، ﻳﺤﻮﻱ ﻋﻴﻮﻥ اﻟﻤﺮاﺩ ﻣﻦ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ ﺫﻟﻚ، ﻭاﻟﻠﻪ اﻟﻤﺮﺷﺪ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺃﺻﻮﺏ اﻟﻤﺴﺎﻟﻚ. "
أما طريقة عرض الأحداث التاريخية فتقوم علي ركيزتين أساسيتين، في حالة التأريخ للأنبياء ذكر أخبارهم ويردفها بأحداث عصرهم التي قد لا تتعلق بهم، مع التوسع في السيرة النبوية الشريفة، حتى يبدأ التأريخ الهجري، فتصبح الطريقة أن يذكر أحداث كل عام هجري التي بالأساس سياسية لكن يذكر أحيانا أخبار العلماء مع ميل أحيانا لذكر الغرائب ثم يذكر أهم الشخصيات التي ماتت في هذه السنة مع نبذة مختصرة و جرح وتعديل لهذه الشخصيات إن كانوا من رواة الحديث أو أهل العلم عموما حتى انتهى إلى سنة ٥٧٤ هجريا