Hadith 40-27

وَقَدْ ذَكَرَ قَوْمٌ أَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بْنَ سَهْلٍ أَشَارَ عَلَى الْمَأْمُونِ بِأَنْ يَجْعَلَ عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُوسَى الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَلِيَّ عَهْدِهِ مِنْهُمْ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ السَّلامِيُّ فَإِنَّهُ ذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ فِي كِتَابِهِ الَّذِي صَنَّفَهُ فِي أَخْبَارِ خُرَاسَانَ قَالَ فَكَانَ الْفَضْلُ بْنُ سَهْلٍ ذُو الرِّئَاسَتَيْنِ وَزِيرَ الْمَأْمُونِ وَمُدَبِّرَ أُمُورِهِ وَكَانَ مَجُوسِيّاً فَأَسْلَمَ عَلَى يَدَيْ يَحْيَى بْنِ خَالِدٍ الْبَرْمَكِيِّ وَصَحِبَهُ وَقِيلَ بَلْ أَسْلَمَ سَهْلٌ وَالِدُ الْفَضْلِ عَلَى يَدَيِ الْمَهْدِيِّ وَإِنَّ الْفَضْلَ اخْتَارَهُ يَحْيَى بْنُ خَالِدٍ الْبَـرْمَكِيُّ لِخِـدْمَةِ الْمَـأْمُونِ وَضَمَّهُ إِلَيْهِ فَتَغَلَّبَ عَلَـيْهِ وَاسْتَبَدَّ بِالأَمْرِ دُونَهُ وَإِنَّمَا لُقِّبَ بِذِي الرِّئَاسَتَيْنِ لانَّهُ تَقَلَّدَ الْوِزَارَةَ وَرِئَاسَةَ الْجُنْدِ فَقَالَ الْفَضْلُ حِينَ اسْتَخْلَفَ الْمَأْمُونُ يَوْماً لِبَعْضِ مَنْ كَانَ يُعَاشِرُهُ أَيْنَ يَقَعُ فِعْلِي فِيَما أَتَيْتُهُ مِنْ فِعْلِ أَبِي مُسْلِمٍ فِيَما أَتَاهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ أَبَا مُسْلِمٍ حَوَّلَهَا مِنْ قَبِيلَةٍ إِلَى قَبِيلَةٍ وَأَنْتَ حَوَّلْتَهَا مِنْ أَخٍ إِلَى أَخٍ وَبَيْنَ الْحَالَتَيْنِ مَا تَعْلَمُهُ قَالَ الْفَضْلُ فَإِنِّي أُحَوِّلُهَا مِنْ قَبِيلَةٍ إِلَى قَبِيلَةٍ ثُمَّ أَشَارَ عَلَى الْمَأْمُونِ بِأَنْ يَجْعَلَ عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُوسَى الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَلِيَّ عَهْدِهِ فَبَايَعَهُ وَأَسْقَطَ بَيْعَةَ الْمُؤْتَمَنِ أَخِيهِ وَكَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُوسَى الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَرَدَ عَلَى الْمَأْمُونِ وَهُوَ بِخُرَاسَانَ سَنَةَ مِائَتَيْنِ عَلَى طَرِيقِ الْبَصْرَةِ وَفَارِسَ مَعَ رَجَاءِ بْنِ أَبِي الضَّحَّاكِ وَكَانَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ مُتَزَوِّجاً بِابْنَةِ الْمَأْمُونِ فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ خَبَرُهُ الْعَبَّاسِيِّينَ بِبَغْدَادَ سَاءَهُمْ ذَلِكَ فَأَخْرَجُوا إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنَ الْمَهْدِيِّ وَبَايَعُوهُ بِالْخِلافَةِ فَفِيهِ يَقُولُ دِعْبِلٌ الْخُزَاعِيُّ: يَا مَعْشَرَ الأَجْنَادِ لا تَقْنَطُوا خُذُوا عَطَايَاكُمْ وَلا تَسْخَطُوا فَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكُمْ حَنِينِيَّةً يَلَذُّهَا الأَمْرَدُ وَالأَشْمَطُ وَالْمَعْبَدِيَّاتِ لِقُوَّادِكُمْ‏ لا تَدْخُلُ الْكِيسَ وَلا تُرْبَطُ وَهَكَذَا يَرْزُقُ أَصْحَابَهُ‏ خَلِيفَةٌ مُصْحَفُهُ الْبَرْبَطُ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْمَهْدِيَّ كَانَ مُولَعاً بِضَرْبِ الْعُودِ مُنْهَمِكاً بِالشَّرَابِ فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ الْمَأْمُونَ خَبَرُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلِمَ أَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بْنَ سَهْلٍ أَخْطَأَ عَلَيْهِ وَأَشَارَ بِغَيْرِ الصَّوَابِ فَخَرَجَ مِنْ مَرْوَ مُنْصَرِفاً إِلَى الْعِرَاقِ وَاحْتَالَ عَلَى الْفَضْلِ بْنِ سَهْلٍ حَتَّى قَتَلَهُ غَالِبٌ خَالُ الْمَأْمُونِ فِي الْحَمَّامِ بِسَرَخْسَ مُغَافَصَةً فِي شَعْبَانَ سَنَةَ ثَلاثٍ وَمِائَتَيْنِ وَاحْتَالَ عَلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ حَتَّى سُمَّ فِي عِلَّةٍ كَانَتْ أَصَابَتْهُ فَمَاتَ وَأَمَرَ بِدَفْنِهِ بِسَنَابَادَ مِنْ طُوسَ بِجَنْبِ قَبْرِ الرَّشِيدِ وَذَلِكَ فِي صَفَرِ ثَلاثٍ وَمِائَتَيْـنِ وَكَانَ ابْنَ اثْنَتَيْـنِ وَخَمْسِيـنَ سَنَةً وَقِيـلَ ابْنُ خَمْسٍ وَخَمْسِينَ سَنَةً هَذَا مَا حَكَاهُ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ السَّلامِيُّ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَالصَّحِيحُ عِنْدِي أَنَّ الْمَأْمُونَ إِنَّمَا وَلاهُ الْعَهْدَ وَبَايَعَ لَهُ لِلنَّذْرِ الَّذِي قَدْ تَقَدَّمَ ذِكْرُهُ وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بْنَ سَهْلٍ لَمْ يَزَلْ مُعَادِياً وَمُبْغِضاً لَهُ وَكَارِهاً لامْرِهِ لانَّهُ كَانَ مِنْ صَنَائِعِ آلِ بَرْمَكَ وَمَبْلَغُ سِنِّ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ تِسْعٌ وَأَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً وَسِتَّةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَكَانَتْ وَفَاتُهُ فِي سَنَةِ ثَلاثٍ وَمِائَتَيْنِ كَمَا قَدْ أَسْنَدْتُهُ فِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ.

Some people have narrated that Fadhl ibn Sahl advised Al-Ma’mun to appoint Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) as the successor to the throne. Among them we can mention Abu Ali Al-Husayn ibn Ahmad Al-Salami who has written about the events in Khorasan in his book. He wrote: “Thul-Riasatayn Fadhl ibn Sahl was Al-Ma’mun’s minister and the master mind of his affairs. He was a Magus. He embraced Islam by means of Yahya ibn Khalid, and became one of his associates. It has been said that Sahl - the father of Al-Fadhl - embraced Islam by means of (the Abbasid) Al-Mahdi. The Barmakite [25] Yahya ibn Khalid appointed Al-Fadhl to serve Al-Ma’mun. However, Al-Fadhl consolidated his position and prevailed over him, too. He carried out all the affairs according to his own opinion and was called Thul-Riasatayn meaning one with two positions being the prime minister and the head of the army. One day when Al-Ma’mun took over the Caliphate, Al-Fadhl asked one of his companions, “How does what I have done compare with what Abi Muslim did?” He replied, “Abi Muslim turned the Caliphate over from one tribe to another, while what you did was turning it over from one brother to another. You know best what the difference is.” Then Al-Fadhl ibn Sahl said, “I will turn it over from one tribe to another one, too.” He then advised Al-Ma’mun to establish Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) as the successor to the throne instead of his brother al-Mo’taman. Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) was brought to Khorasan by Raja ibn Abi ad-Dhahhaq in the year 200 A.H. (814 A.D.) by way of Basra and Fars. Al-Ma’mun’s daughter was married off to Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.). When the news of this reached the Abbasids in Baghdad, it was harsh on them. Thus they pledged allegiance to Ibrahim ibn AL-Mahdi as the Caliph. De’bel ibn Khoza’ee said the following about him: This was because Ibrahim ibn Al-Mahdi was very much interested in playing the lute [27] and was an alcoholic. When the news reached Al-Ma’mun, he realized that Al-Fadhl ibn Sahl had misguided him, and given him bad advice. Therefore, he left Marv heading towards Iraq with a plot to kill Al-Fadhl. He was killed by Qalib - Al-Ma’mun’s maternal uncle - in a bath in Sarakhs in the (Arabic) month of Sha’ban of the year 203 A.H. (818 A.D.). Then Al-Ma’mun plotted to kill Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.). Finally he poisoned him on an occasion when Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) had become ill. Then Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) died. Al-Ma’mun ordered that the Imam (a.s.) be buried in Sanabad next to the grave of Harun Al-Rashid. This happened in the (Arabic) month of Safar in the year 203 A.H. (818 A.D.) when he was 52 years old. Some people have said that this happened to the Imam (a.s.) at the age of 55. This is what Abu Ali Al-Husayn ibn Ahmad al-Salami has narrated in his book. However, what seems right to me is that Al-Ma’mun appointed him as the successor to the throne due to a covenant he had made with God as was mentioned before. [28] However, Al-Fadhl ibn Sahl did not ever stop his animosity. He despised Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) and did not like him (a.s.) to be the successor to the throne. This was because Al-Fadhl had been raised by the Barmakites. Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) was forty-nine and a half years old when he died in the year 203 A.H. (818 A.D.) as I have documented in this book.