الفضل بن الربيع

Yaqoob ibn Dawood told me that he adheres to the Divine Leadership.”Ibrahim ibn Abil Bilad added, “On the night before Musa ibn Ja’far (s) was arrested, I went to see Yaqoob ibn Dawood in Medina. Yaqoob told me, ‘I was with the Vizier - that is Yahya ibn Khalid - now. He told me that he had heard Ar-Rashid address God’s Prophet (s) near the Prophet’s (s) shrine and say, ‘O Prophet of God! May my father and mother be your ransom! Please forgive me for the decision which I have made - that is to arrest and imprison Musa ibn Ja’far since I am afraid that he will cause a war in your nation in which there will be bloodshed. I think Harun Ar-Rashid will arrest the Imam (s) in the morning.’”The narrator of this tradition added, “The following morning Al-Fadhl ibn al-Rabiee’ was sent to him. The Imam (s) was standing in the Station of God’s Prophet (s) and was praying. Al-Fadhl ibn al-Rabee’ ordered that he (s) be arrested and imprisoned.”

Take a better look!’ Then I took a better look and said, ‘I see a man prostrating in prayer.’ He asked, ‘Can you recognize the man?’ I said, ‘No, I can’t.’ He said, ‘That is your master.’ I said, ’Which master?’ He said, ‘Are you pretending you don’t know?’ I said, ‘I am not pretending, but I do not know that I have a master.’ He said, ‘That is Abul Hassan Musa ibn Ja’far (s). I watch him day and night. I never found him in any state other than what I will tell you. He (s) says the morning prayers. Then he (s) says the supplications after the prayer for sometime until sunrise. Then he (s) falls to prostration and remains prostrating until the sun comes near to descending (from its midday zenith). He (s) has ordered someone to inform him about the sun’s coming near to descending. I do not know when they tell him that the sun has come near to descending. However, he (s) suddenly stands up and begins to say his prayers without renewing his ritual ablutions. So I can tell that he (s) does not go to sleep during the period of his prostration nor does he slumber.He (s) continues to pray until he (s) finishes saying the afternoon prayers. When he (s) finishes saying his afternoon prayer, he (s) falls into prostration. Then he (s) stays in the state of prostration until sunset. When the sun sets, he (s) raises his head and says the evening prayers without renewing his ablutions. He (s) continues to pray and says thesupplications after the prayer until he (s) finishes saying his night prayers. When he (s) finishes saying his night prayers, he (s) breaks his fast by eating some roasted meat which they bring for him. Then he (s) renews the ritual ablution and falls into prostration. Then he (s) raises his head and sleeps for a short time.Then he (s) gets up and renews his ritual ablutions and stands up to pray in the middle of the night until dawn. I do not know when they inform him that the dawn has come, but I see that he (s) suddenly stands up and says the morning prayers. This has been his behavior since he (s) has been handed over to me.’I said, ‘Fear God! Do not do what would result in the termination of blessings. You know well that the blessings given to anyone who does any evil deeds to any member of this Household will be taken away from him.’The guard replied, ‘They sent for me several times and ordered me to kill him, but I did not accept this and informed them that I would not do that. I would not do that even if they kill me.’1 After some time, the Imam (s) was turned over to Al-Fadhl ibn Yahya Al-Barmaki who imprisoned him for a few days. For three days and nights Al-Fadhl ibn al-Rabee’ brought him food. But on the fourth night they brought him food from Al-Fadhl ibn Yahya. Then he (the Imam (s)) raised his hands towards the sky and said, ‘O Lord! You know best that if I had eaten this before the day, I would have assisted my murderer myself.’ Then he (Abul Hassan Musa ibn Ja’far (s)) ate it and fell ill. They brought a doctor for him (s) the following morning. He (s) showed the doctor the bruise that had developed on his hand which was the effect of the poison that had gathered in that location which they had fed him. The doctor faced them and said, ‘By God! He knows best what you have done to him.’ Then the Imam (s) passed away.”

I visited Fadl b. Rabih and he was sitting on the roof. He said: Come to me. I went close that I was right next to him. He said: Look to the side of that house. I looked to where he pointed, then he asked me: What do you see in the house? I said: I see a thrown cloak. He said: Look closer. I gazed attentively and scrutinized my vision, and then I was certain. I said: A man in prostration. He said: Do you know him? I said: No. He said: This is your master. I said: Who is my master? He said: Are you fooling me? I said: I am not fooling you. I do not know a master. Then he said: This is Abu’l Ḥasan Musa b. Ja`far. I inspect him day and night, and I have not seen him at any time except in this state which I shall describe to you: He prays Fajr, and afterwards he follows that with worship for an hour after his prayer (ta`qib) till sunrise. He then bows down in a prostrates and remains in prostration till midday. Someone was appointed to him to check for midday; I do not know when the boy recognizes that the Sun has reached midday. Then, [the Imam] rises and begins his [Dhuhr] prayer, without renewing his ritual ablutions (wudu’), and by this I know that he has not slept during his prostration and did not drowse. He remains in this state [of worship] till he finishes the `Asr prayer. If he prays `Asr, he then bows in a prostration and remains in prostration until the Sun sets. When the Sun sets, he rises from prostration and prays Maghrib without renewing anything, and he remains in the state of prayer and worship until he prays the first night prayer (`Isha’). When he finishes all this, he breaks his fast on something roasted that is brought to him. He then renews his ablutions. After that, he rises and spends the whole night in worship until dawn. I do not know how the boy recognizes and tells that it is time for Fajr, that I see him [Imam Musa] rising for Fajr prayer. This has been his state since the time he was transferred to me. Then, I said: Fear Allah, and do not do something ill to him which might cause you to be deprived of grace. You know well that no one does harm to one of them [the Ahl al-Bayt] without their bounties vanishing. He said: They sent to me more than once commanding me to kill him but I did not answer them to this, and I made them know that I will not do this, and that even if they kill me I will not answer them to what they are asking me to do. After that, [the Imam] was transferred to Fadl b. Yaḥya al-Barmaki. He was imprisoned there for days, and Fadl b. Rabih used to send him a meal each night. He was the only one allowed to enter upon him, so [the Imam] did not eat and did not break his fast except on this meal which was sent to him. This condition remained for three days and nights. On the fourth night, a meal was presented to him by Fadl b. Yaḥya (not Fadl b. Rabih). He (as) raised his hands to the sky and said: O Lord! You know that if I ate this before this day, I would have been performing suicide by my own hands. He ate, and then he got sick. The next day he was sent a doctor to inspect the illness. The doctor said to him: How are you? He did not answer him. When the doctor insisted, he let out the palm of his hand and showed it to the doctor and said: This is my disease. There was a greenness in his hand which indicated that he was poisoned, and the poison had gathered in that point. The doctor left and he said to: By Allah, he knows what you did to him more than you do! Then, he (as) passed away.

I was in bed with one of my slave-wives. Then I heard the door bell ring in the middle of the night. It made me frightened. My slave-wife said, Perhaps it was due to the wind. A short time later the door of my room opened and Masroor al-Kabir (Harun’s servant) entered the room and told me, ‘The Commander has called you in.’ He did not even greet me. Seeing that he just entered my room without seeking my permission and that he did not greet me, It occurred to me that Harun intends to kill me. I was in a state of major ritual impurity , but I did not dare ask him to let me make a major ritual ablution. When my slave-wife noticed my stress and agitation, she said, ‘Rely on the Honorable the Exalted God and get up.’ Then I got up, put on my clothes and left the house with him and went to Harun’s house. Then I greeted the Commander of the Faithful. He was in bed. He greeted back. I fell to the ground. He said, ‘Were you frightened?’ I replied, ‘O Commander of the Faithful! Yes.’ He left me alone for a while until I got calm. Then he told me, ‘Go to jail, free Musa ibn Ja’far and give him thirty-thousand Dirhams and five robes of honor. Give him three horses and inform him that he is free to decide to stay with us or go to whichever town that he wills.’ Then I said, ‘O Commander of the Faithful! Are you ordering me to free Musa ibn Ja’far?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’ And he repeated it thrice. Then he asked me, ‘Yes. Do you want me to break my covenant?’ I said, ‘Which covenant?’ He replied, ‘When I was in this bed I suddenly saw a black man. I had never seen any black man that was bigger than him before. He grabbed my neck, sat on my chest and tried to choke me.” He said, ‘Have you oppressively imprisoned Musa ibn Ja’far?’ Then I told him, ‘I will free him, and give him presents and robes of honor.’ Then he had me pledge by the Honorable the Exalted God, and got off my chest. I was about to die.”The narrator of this tradition added, “Then I left him and went to Musa ibn Ja’far (s) in jail. I saw that he was standing in prayer. I waited until he finished saying his prayers. Then I expressed the greetings of the Commander of the Faithful to him and informed him about that which I had been ordered to do. I told him that the presents were ready.He (s) said, ‘Do any other things which you have been ordered to do.’ I said, ‘No. I swear by your grandfather - the Messenger of God (s) that I have not been ordered to do anything else.’”He (s) said, “I do not need the robes of honor, the horses and the property since they belong to the nation.” I said, “By God! Do not turn them down. Harun will get mad.” He (s) said, “Do with them as you please.” I took his hand and brought him out of jail. Then I asked him, “O son of God’s Prophet! Can you inform me about the reason you received all these honors from this man? You owe me that since I gave you the glad tidings of your freedom, and this was done by me.”Then he (s) said, “I saw the Prophet (s) on Wednesday night. He (s) asked me, “O Musa! Have you been oppressively imprisoned?” I replied, “O Messenger of God! Yes.” The Prophet (s) repeated this question three times, and then said, ‘I know not but that it may be a trial for you, and a grant of (worldly) livelihood (to you) for a time.’ Then the Prophet (s) told me, “Fast tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. Say twelve units of prayers at the time of breaking your fast. In each unit recite the Opening Chapter once and the Chapter ‘Al-Ikhlas twelve times. In the fourth unit of prayer, fall in prostration and say, ‘O the One who survives after everyone’s death! O the Hearer of all sounds! O the Reviver of the rotten bones after death! I implore you by Your Great Name, the Greatest! Please send Blessings upon Muhammad - Thy servant and Thy Messenger, and upon the members of his Holy Household - the Pure Ones. I beg You to expedite my relief from the conditions I am in.’ Then I did as the Prophet (s) had instructed me to do and what you saw happened.”

I was standing in the presence of Al-Ma’mun. He asked, “Do you know who taught me about Shiism?” All the people who were present said, “No, by God, we do not know.” He said, “(Harun) Ar-Rashid taught me.” They asked him, “How is that so? It was (Harun) Ar-Rashid who killed the members of this Household!”Al-Ma’mun said, “He killed them for his rule. A Kingdom is barren . One year I accompanied Harun when he went for the Hajj pilgrimage. When we reached Medina, he told his gate-keepers, “Whoever enters who is from the people of Medina, Mecca, the Immigrants , the Helpers , the Hashemites or others from the Quraysh (tribe) must state his relationship.” Whoever entered said that he was so and so, the son of so and so, until he reached his grandfather from the Hashemites, the Quraysh (tribe), the Immigrants or the Helpers. Then Harun would grant him gifts anywhere from two-hundred to five-thousand Dinars according to his nobility, and the honor of his grandfathers in their exile (from Mecca to Medina). One day I was present there when Al-Fadhl ibn Rabee’ said, “O Commander of the Faithful (Harun)! There is a man at the door who claims to be Musa ibn Ja’far ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Al-Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (s).” Immediately Harun faced us who were standing near his head, Al-Amin and al-Mo’taman and the rest of the chiefs present and said, “Straighten yourselves up!” Then he faced the gate-keeper and said, “Let him in. Be careful that he not sit down anywhere but on my special seat.” Then a Sheikh entered who had become pale due to extensive worshipping. He was slim and wrinkled. His face and nose were affected by the extent of prostrations. When he saw (Harun) Ar-Rashid, he tried to get off the donkey he was riding on. Then Ar-Rashid said, “By God, you should sit only on my special seat.”The gate-keepers did not let the Imam (s) get off the donkey. We all looked at him with great honor and respect. He rode on his donkey until he reached the especial seat. All the gate-keepers and the chiefs were around him. Then he got off. Ar-Rashid got up and came forward until he reached the especial seat. Then Harun kissed his face and eyes, took his hand and took him to the uppermost part of the room and sat down with him. He started talking with him. While talking, he faced him and asked him about his health and conditions. Then Harun asked the Imam (s), “O Abul Hassan (Al-Kadhim (s))! How many people do you support?” The Imam (s) said, “More than five-hundred.” Harun said, “Are they all your children?” The Imam (s) said, “No, most of them are servants and companions. I have more than thirty children: So many boys and so many girls.” Harun asked, “Why don’t you marry off the girls to their cousins, or other suitable people?” The Imam (s) said, “I do not have enough money.” Harun said, “What condition is your land in?” The Imam (s) said, “Sometimes it yields produce and at other times it does not.” Harun asked, “Do you have any debts?” The Imam (s) said, “Yes.” Harun asked, “How much?” The Imam (s) said, “Around ten-thousand Dinars.” Then Ar-Rashid said, “O cousin! I will give you enough money to marry off your daughters and sons, pay back your debts and revive your land.” The Imam (s) said, “O cousin! I hope the relatives fulfill the rights of kinship with you, and thank God for your nice intentions and tangible relationship. Our ties of kinship come from the same root. We are from the same family. Al-Abbas was the uncle of God’s Prophet (s). He and the Prophet’s (s) father formed two strong tree trunks which were attached to one another from the roots. He was also the uncle of Ali ibn Abi Talib (s). He and Ali’s father also formed two strong tree trunks which were attached to one another from the roots. I hope that God will not make you change your mind about what you want to do. He has granted you power and has established you to be from a noble family.” Harun said, “O Abul Hassan! It will be an honor for me to do that.”He (s) said, “O Commander of the Faithful! Indeed the Honorable the Exalted God has made it incumbent upon the rulers to provide for the poor people in the nation, to pay off the debts of those in debt; to assist the people who are overburdened; to clothe the people who are destitute; and to be kind to the prisoners and slaves. You are the one most suitable to do these things.” Harun said, “O Abul Hassan! I will do that.”Then he stood up. (Harun) Ar-Rashid stood up out of respect for him, and kissed him on the eyes and face. Then he faced me (Abdullah), (Muhammad) Al-Amin, and (Ibrahim) Al-Moa’taman and said, “O Abdullah, Muhammad and Ibrahim! Move ahead of your uncle and your Master, hold the horse strap for him. Fix his clothes and accompany him to his house.”Then Abul Hassan Musa ibn Ja’far (s) gave me the glad tidings that I would become the Caliph in private. He asked me to treat his son kindly when I take over the rule. Then we returned. I was braver than my brothers with my father. Then in private I asked him, “O Commander of the Faithful! Who was this man whom you honored and respected so much? Who was him for whom you stood up, went to welcome him, had him seated at the head of the room, and you sat down in a lower position yourself? Who was he for whom you ordered us to hold the horse strap?” He said, “This is the Divine Leader of the people, the Proof of God for His creatures, and His Successor over His servants.” I said, “O Commander of the Faithful! Are not all these characteristics yours? Are they not in you?” He said, “I am the people’s leader on the surface and by force, but Musa ibn Ja’far (s) is the True Divine Leader. O my son! By God, he (s) more deserves to succeed God’s Prophet (s) than me and all the other people. I swear by God that even if you try to take away the rule from me, I will chop off your head. A Kingdom is barren.”When Harun decided to go from Medina to Mecca, he ordered that two-hundred Dinars be put in a black bag. He faced Al-Fadhl ibn Rabee’ and said, “Take this to Musa ibn Ja’far and tell him, “The Commander of the Faithful said that for the moment we are having hard times. Our presents will be delivered to you later.”I objected and said, “O Commander of the Faithful! You give five-thousand Dinars or so much to the progeny of the Muhajireen (emigrants), the Ansar (helpers), other members of the Quraysh (tribe), the Hashemites, and others whom you do not even know their family ties. However, are you going to give only two-hundred Dinars to Musa ibn Ja’far whom you honored and respected so much?” This is much less than what you gave all the other people.” Harun said, “Shut up! Son of a bitch! If I give him what I promised to give him, I will not be safe from facing one-hundred thousand men with swords from his followers andfriends. This man’s poverty, and the poverty of his members of household is safer for me than their being wealthy and well-to-do.When Mokhariq - the singer - saw this, he got mad. He went to (Harun) Ar-Rashid and said, “O Commander of the Faithful! When I entered Medina most of the people expected me to give them something. If I do not give them anything before I leave they will not recognize the generosity of the Commander of the Faithful with me, and my rank near you.” Then Harun ordered that he be given ten-thousand Dinars. Again Mokhariq said, “O Commander of the Faithful! This is for the people of Medina. I also have some debts which I must pay back.” Then Harun ordered that he be given another ten-thousand Dinars. Again Mokhariq said, “O Commander of the Faithful! My daughters are about to get married. I need to prepare dowries for them.” Then Harun ordered that he be given another ten-thousand Dinars. Then Mokhariq said, “O Commander of the Faithful! Please establish some wages for me so that the living expenses for my life, that of my wife, my daughters and their spouses be paid for.” Harun ordered that a land which had an annual income of ten-thousand Dinars be given to him. He ordered that all this be immediately given to him.Then Mokhariq immediately stood up and went to see Musa ibn Ja’far (s) and told him, “When I realized what this damned one has done to you, I tricked him for your sake, and took thirty-thousand Dinars plus land which has more than ten-thousand Dinars in annual income for you. O my Master! I swear by God that I do not need any of this. I only took them for you. I bear witness that this land is yours and I have brought you the money.Imam Musa ibn Ja’far (s) said, “May God give you blessings by means of your property, and grant you good rewards. I will not take even one Dirham or any of your land. I welcome your kindness and recognize your good intentions. Return. May you be guided. And do not return to me in this regard. He kissed the Imam’s hands and returned (to Harun).

The reason for the arrest of Musa bin Ja’far (a.s) was that Harun Rashid had put his son in the care of Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Ashath and Yahya bin Khalid Barmaki was jealous of that. He said (to himself): “If the caliphate passes on to (the son), my dominion and that of my son will be destroyed.” Therefore he deceived Ja’far bin Muhammad - and the latter used to believe in Imamate - so that he managed to gain access to him and establish friendly relations with him. His visits to his house were frequent and he became acquainted with his affairs, which he reported back to H¡r£n Rashid and he added to these reports that which would make (Harun Rashid) feel hatred towards him. One day (Yahya bin Khalid) asked some of those he trusted: “Would you find for me a member of the family of Abu Talib, who is not in comfortable circumstances, and then he would let me know what I need?” He was directed to Ali bin Ismail bin Ja’far bin Muhammad. Yahya bin Khalid took him some money. Musa (a.s) was friendly with Ali bin Ismail bin Ja’far bin Muhammad, used to bring him gifts and treat him well. Yahya bin Khalid sent to (Ali bin Ismail) requesting him to visit Harun Rashid and drawing his attention to the kind treatment, which he had given him. So he decided to do that. Musa (a.s) was concerned and summoned Ali. “Where are you going, cousin?” he asked. “Baghdad,” was the reply. “Why are you doing that?” he enquired. “I am in debt and I am poor,” he answered. “I will pay your debt and act for you and carry out (what you need),” Musa (a.s) told him. He did not pay attention to that and began to set about (preparing for his) departure. Abul Hasan (a.s) asked him to come and said to him: “Are you leaving?” “Yes,” he replied, “I must do that.” “Look, cousin,” he said to him, “fear God and do not give away any confidences against my children.” He ordered him to be given three hundred dinars and four thousand dirhams. (When he stood up in front of him) Abul Hasan Musa (a.s) spoke to those who were present: “By God, he will strive against my blood and will confide against my children.” “May God make us your ransom,” they said, “did you know this from his state when you were giving him gifts and being generous to him?” “Yes,” he said, “my father told me on the authority of his ancestors, on the authority of the Messenger of Allah (s) that when kin cut themselves away, then they should be brought back, for if they cut themselves away, God will cut them off. I wanted to bring him back after he had cut himself off from me for if he cuts me off, God will cut him off. Ali bin Ismail set out until he reached Yahya bin Khalid. He gave him news of Musa bin Ja’far (a.s) and (Yahya bin Khalid) reported to Harun Rashid and added additional material to it. Then he took him to Harun Rashid. The latter asked him about his uncle and he gave information against him to (Harun Rashid). He told him that money was being brought to him from east and west and that he had bought an estate named Al-Yasir for thirty thousand dinars. Its (former) owner had said when he had brought him the money: “I will not accept this currency. I will only accept such-and-such currency.” Then he ordered that money be brought and gave thirty thousand dinars of the currency whose coinage he had asked for. Harun Rashid listened to that and then ordered him to be given two hundred thousand dirhams, with which he sought to make a living in one of the areas. He chose one of the provinces of the east. His messengers were sent to bring the money and he waited there for its arrival. One day he went to the toilet when he was suffering from dysentery and as a result of it the whole of his stomach came out. He fell down. They tried to put it back, but they could not. He was aware of his situation when the money was brought to him while he was in the pangs of death. He said: “What can I do with it? I am about to die.” That year Harun Rashid went on the pilgrimage. He began it at Medina and there he had Abul Hasan Musa (a.s) arrested. It is reported that when he came to Medina, Musa (a.s) received him with a group of nobles. They had gone out to meet him and then Abul Hasan (a.s) had gone on to the mosque as was his custom. Harun Rashid waited until night and then went to the tomb of the Messenger of Allah (s). He said: “O Messenger of Allah (s), I apologize to you for something I want to do. I want to imprison Musa Ibn Ja’far, because he intends to divide your community and cause bloodshed.” Then he ordered him to be taken from the mosque and brought before him. He had him put in chains and called for two awnings to be brought. He had (Abul Hasan) put in one of them on a mule and had the other awning put on another mule. The two mules left his house carrying the two awnings, which were closed. With each one went the cavalry. The cavalry divided and some went with one awning on road to Basra and the other to Kufa. Harun Rashid only did that in order to confuse the people about what had happened to Abul Hasan (a.s). He ordered the men who were with the awning in which was Abul Hasan to hand him over to Isa bin Ja’far bin Mansur, who was governor of Basra at that time. He was handed over to him and he kept him in detention for a year. He then wrote a letter to Harun saying, “You may take him (i.e. Imam Kadhim) from me and hand him over to any other person; otherwise, I will release him. I have tried all means to find any overwhelming evidence against him, but I failed. In fact, I even eavesdropped on him hoping that I would hear him invoking God’s curse upon me or you, but I always heard him supplicating God for himself and imploring Him for mercy and forgiveness. So, Harun order someone to go and receive the Imam from Isa. The Imam was then detained with al-Fadhl ibn al-Rabi in Baghdad where he spent a very long time of detention. However, Harun wanted al-Fadhl to kill the Imam, but the later refused. As a result, Harun ordered him through a letter to give the Imam to al-Fadhl ibn Yahya who also refused to obey Harun's orders of killing the Imam. Harun, while residing in al-Riqqah, was then informed that the Imam was living in luxury under the custody of al-Fadhl ibn Yahya; so, he ordered his servant Masrur to go to Baghdad, immediately come to Musa ibn Jaffar and gather information about his actual situation there. Harun instructed, “If you see him enjoy luxury as has been told, you mus then take this letter of mine to Abbas ibn Muhammad and take this another letter to Sindi ibn Shahak and order both of them to carry out my instruction mentioned in these letters immediately.” Obeying his master, Masrur came to Baghdad and resided in the house of al-Fadhl ibn Yahya without letting anyone know what he had come for. He then visited Musa ibn Jaffar and found him enjoying luxury, as exactly as Harun had been told. As soon as he left, he headed for Abbas and Sindi and delivered them the two letters of Harun. At once, the messenger left for al-Fadhl ibn Yahya running. When he was there, the people noticed that al-Fadhl rode with the messenger while he was overcome by astonishment and surprise. Once he met Abbas, he asked for lashes and a lashing wood. He assigned the mission to Sindi and ordered that al-Fadhl should be stripped of his clothes and lashed one hundred lashes. When he left, al-Fadhl was extremely astounded that he unconsciously went on greeting people. Masrur the servant transmitted this news to Harun in a letter and the latter ordered him to had over Imam Musa Kadhim (a.s) to Sindi ibn Shahak. Harun gathered the people and delivered a speech, saying, “O people, al-Fadhl ibn Yahya has disobeyed and challenged my orders. So, I see that you should invoke curse on him.” Cries of curse on al-Fadhl were uttered by all people from every corner of Harun's house that shook with these cries. Upon receiving these news, Yahya ibn Khalid came to Harun and entered from another door than the one usually used by people. He thus surprised Harun from his back and said to him, “Would you please listen to me, O Amir al-Mu'minin?” Panicked by this move, Harun paid his attention to Yahya who said to him, “It is true that al-Fadhl has committed a mistake, but we can set aright what he has ruined.” These words gladdened Harun who thus turned his face towards the attendants and said to them, “Because al-Fadhl had disobeyed me, I asked you to invoke curse upon him. Now that he repented and returned to my obedience, you should now accept him as your chief.” Acceding to him, the attendants shouted, “We always are friends of those whom you befriends and enemies of those whom you alienate. So, we are now loyalists to al-Fadhl.” Yahya ibn Khalid himself undertook the mission of transferring the ruler’s letters. When he arrived in Baghdad, the people surged and began to doubt everything. So, Yahya had to pretend that he had come for setting aright all their affairs and observing the performance of the governmental officials. While he was implementing some of these reformations, he summoned Sindi and conveyed to him the instructions of the ruler. Of course, Sindi went on carrying out these instructions. At the hour of his death, Imam Musa (a.s) asked Sindi to bring to him one of his servants who lived in the house of Abbas ibn Muhammad so that he would perform the ritual bathing of his body after his death. Sindi did. The reporter added: I asked Imam Kadhim (a.s) to allow me to enshroud him, but he refused and said, “We, the Ahl al-Bayt, manage the affairs of the dowries of our wives, our journeys to the Hajj pilgrimage and the shrouds that are used for enshrouding our dead bodies from our purest legally gotten money. I have my own shroud.” When the Imam passed away, master scholars and celebrated personalities of Baghdad, one of whom was al-Haytham ibn Adi, were allowed to see his dead body so that they would witness that he was not killed; rather, his death was natural. His dead body was then taken out and put on the bridge. A caller shouted, “This is the body of Musa ibn Jaffar. You people may come and look at it.” So, the people came to look at his face fixedly. The Reporter added: A man from the descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib reported to me that the caller who stood on the dead body of Imam Kadhim shouted, “This is Musa ibn Jaffar whom the Rafidah claim that he would not die. Come on and look at him.” So, people came and gazed at the body. The Imam’s body was then carried and buried in the cemetery of Quraysh; so, his grave was next to a man from the Nawfar family, whose name was Isa ibn Abdullah.”