TEHRAN -- The life story of Imam Ali (AS) has been versified in a book by Mehdi Shafiei.

The book entitled “The Epic of Imam Ali (AS)” contains 13,077 verses and was published by Ketabdaran and Jomhuri publishing houses last week.

Shafiei wrote the versified volume in consultation with a team of experts on the history of Islam in a project, which was financed by the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization, project manager Mohammad Baqi told the Persian service of MNA on Tuesday.

“The idea to versify the life story of Imam Ali (AS) in a book was given by Mr. Shafiei, who previously versified the Nahj-ul-Balagha,” he added.

Baqi said that information about the life of Imam Ali (AS) was prepared by the team of experts who also qualified the verses after Shafiei turned the information into poetry.

Shafiei spent seven years versifying the information in a style that the great Persian poet Ferdowsi used to compose his epic masterpiece Shahnameh, he stated.

“Those Shahnameh enthusiasts who have read ‘The Epic of Imam Ali (AS)’ call it a second Shahnameh due to its style,” Baqi said.

The book contains 42 chapters, each of which begins with an illustration created by Anahita Hasheminejad.
The book was unveiled in Tehran on Monday during a ceremony, which was attended by Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani and a number of cultural officials.

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