On Proof of Ar-Ridha’’s Rightfulness Due to the Acceptance by God the Honorable the Exalted of his prayers for the Barmakites

حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُوسَى المُتَوَكِّل قالَ حَدَّثَنا عَبْدِ اللَّه بْنِ جَعْفَر الحِمْيَريُّ عَنْ أَحْمَدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ الحَسَن بْنِ عَلِى الوَشَّاء عَنْ مسافر قالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ بِمِنًى فَمَرَّ يَحْيَى بْنُ خَالِدٍ مَعَ قَوْمٍ مِنْ آلِ بَرْمَكَ فَقَالَ مَسَاكِينُ هَؤُلاءِ لا يَدْرُونَ مَا يَحُلُّ بِهِمْ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ ثُمَّ قَالَ هَاهْ وَأَعْجَبُ مِنْ هَذَا هَارُونُ وَأَنَا كَهَاتَيْنِ وَضَمَّ بِإِصْبَعَيْهِ قَالَ مُسَافِرٌ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا عَرَفْتُ مَعْنَى حَدِيثِهِ حَتَّى دَفَنَّاهُ مَعَهُ.

Muhammad ibn Musa - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Abdullah ibn Ja’far al-Hemyari quoted on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, on the authority of Al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’, on the authority of Mosafir (Abu Muslim - one of the companions of Imam Musa Al-Kazim (a.s.)), “I was with Abil Hassan Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) in Mina. Yahya ibn Khalid and a group of the Barmakites passed by. Then Imam Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) said, ‘These poor fellows do not know what will happen to them this year.’ The Imam (a.s.) then added, ‘O! It is amazing that Harun and I are like these two (fingers)’ while he was putting two of his fingers side by side.” Mosafir added, “By God, I did not understand what this meant until he was buried at the side of Harun.”

حَدَّثَنا عَبْد الواحِدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدُوسٍ النِيْسابُوري العَطَّار بِنِيْسابُورَ سِنَةَ اثنتين‏خَمْسِينَ وَثَلاثِمائَةٍ قالَ حَدَّثَنا عَلِىِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ قُتَيْبَةَ عَنْ الفَضْلِ بْنِ شاذان عَنْ صَفْوان بن يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يعفور البلخي عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ مِهْرانِ قالَ سَمِعْتُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ يَحْيَىُ سَمِعْتُ عِيسَى بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ يَقُولُ لِهَارُونَ حَيْثُ تَوَجَّهَ مِنَ الرَّقَّةِ إِلَى مَكَّةَ اذْكُرْ يَمِينَكَ الَّتِي حَلَفْتَ بِهَا فِي آلِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ فَإِنَّكَ حَلَفْتَ إِنِ ادَّعَى أَحَدٌ بَعْدَ مُوسَى الإِمَامَةَ ضَرَبْتَ عُنُقَهُ صَبْراً وَهَذَا عَلِيٌّ ابْنُهُ يَدَّعِي هَذَا الأَمْرَ وَيُقَالُ فِيهِ مَا يُقَالُ فِي أَبِيهِ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ مُغْضَباً فَقَالَ وَمَا تَرَى تُرِيدُ أَنْ أَقْتُلَهُمْ كُلَّهُمْ قَالَ مُوسَى فَلَمَّا سَمِعْتُ ذَلِكَ صِرْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَقَالَ‏مَا لِي وَلَهُمْ وَاللَّهِ لا يَقْدِرُونَ إِلَيَّ عَلَى شَيْ‏ءٍ.

Abdul Wahid ibn Muhammad ibn Abdoos al-Neishaboori al-Attar narrated in Neishaboor in the year 352 A.H. (962 A.D.) that Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Qutayba quoted on the authority of Al-Fadhl ibn Shathan, on the authority of Safwan ibn Yahya, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ya’fur al-Balkhi, on the authority of Musa ibn Mehran, “I heard Isa ibn Ja’far tell Harun (Ar-Rashid) when he was going from Raqqah to Mecca, ‘Do not forget what you have sworn to about the household of Abi Talib. You have sworn to chop off the head of anyone who claims to be a Divine Leader after Musa ibn Ja’far. Now this is his son Ali (Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.)) who is claiming to possess the Divine Leadership, and people are saying about him the same thing that they said about his father.’ Harun looked at him angrily and said, ‘So what? Do you think that I should kill them all [2] ?’ Musa ibn Mihran added, “Once I heard this I went and informed Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) about this. Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) said, ‘What do I have to do with them? By God, they do not have the power to do anything to me.’”

حَدَّثَنا أَحْمَدِ بْنِ زِيادِ بْنِ جَعْفَر الهَمْدانِيَّ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ حَدَّثَنا عَلِىِّ بْنِ إِبراهِيمِ بْنِ هاشِم عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى بْنِ عُبِيْد عَنْ صَفْوان بْنِ يَحْيَى قالَ لَمَّا مَضَى أَبُو الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَتَكَلَّمَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ خِفْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ إِنَّكَ قَدْ أَظْهَرْتَ أَمْراً عَظِيماً وَإِنَّمَا نَخَافُ عَلَيْكَ هَذَا الطَّاغِيَ فَقَالَ لِيَجْهَدْ جَهْدَهُ فَلا سَبِيلَ لَهُ عَلَيَّ قَالَ صَفْوَانُ فَأَخْبَرَنَا الثِّقَةُ أَنَّ يَحْيَى بْنَ خَالِدٍ قَالَ لِلطَّاغِي هَذَا عَلِيٌّ ابْنُهُ قَدْ قَعَدَ وَادَّعَى الأَمْرَ لِنَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ مَا يَكْفِينَا مَا صَنَعْنَا بِأَبِيهِ تُرِيدُ أَنْ نَقْتُلَنَّهُمْ جَمِيعاً وَلَقَدْ كَانَتِ الْبَرَامِكَةُ مُبْغِضِينَ لاهْلِ بَيْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ‏ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ مُظْهِرِينَ الْعَدَاوَةَ لَهُمْ.

Ahmad ibn Ziyad al-Hamadani - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashem quoted on the authority of Muhammad ibn Isa ibn Obayd, on the authority of Safwan ibn Yahya, “When Abul Hassan Musa ibn Ja’far (a.s.) passed away and Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) started to talk (about Divine Leadership), then we feared for his life and I told him, ‘You are expressing a great issue. We are afraid of this oppressor (Harun).’ Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) said, ‘He can struggle to do whatever he likes, but he cannot affect me at all.’” Safwan added, “A trustworthy person informed me that Yahya ibn Khalid (Al-Barmaki) told the oppressor (Harun), ‘This is his son Ali (Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.)) who has taken his position and is declaring that he himself is the (Divine) Leader.’ Harun replied, ‘What was the use of what we did to his father? Do you think that we should kill them all?’” The author added, “Indeed all the Barmakites were all enemies of the Members of the Household of God’s Prophet (S) and displayed their animosity.”