2. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Ash‘ari has said that a shaykh from our people called ‘Abdallah ibn Razyn narrated to me the following.

“I lived in al-Madina of the Messenger of Allah. Abu Ja‘far would come every day to the mosque at noon time. He would enter the compound and would turn to the shrine of the Messenger of Allah and offer his greeting of peace. He would then turn to the house of Fatima , take off his shoes, stand up and pray. Satan induced temptation in my heart and said, “when he (the Imam would come go and pick up from the dust on which he has just stepped.” I waited that day for that purpose. When it was noontime he came on his donkey but he did not dismount at the place that he would do so before. He came and dismounted on the rock in front the door of the Mosque. He then entered the Mosque, turned to the Shrine of the Messenger of Allah and offered his greeting of peace to the Messenger of Allah. his disembark.” The narrator has said that then he then turned to the place where he would pray. He did the exact thing for several days. I then said to myself, “When will come this time and will remove his shoes I will go and pick up from the gravel on which he has jus stepped..” When he came next day at noontime he dismounted on the rock then entered the Mosque, turned to the Shrine of the Messenger of Allah and offered his greeing of peace then came to the place where he would pray but prayed without removing his shoes and did the same thing for several days. I then said to my self, “I could not succeed this way but now I must find which public bathhouse he uses to take a shower. I must wait at the door of the place and when he would come to enter the public bathhouse I will pick up the dust from the spot on which he has just stepped. I asked about such public bathhoue and found out that it is such a place in al-Baqi‘ that belongs to man from the family of al-Talha. I found out about the day that he would go this bathhouse. I then on that day went to the place and met the man from the family of al-Talha and began to talk to him while waiting for him (the Imam to come. The owner of the place said to me, “If you want to use the bathhouse you must do now because latter on it will not be available.” I asked, “Why is that?” He said, “Ibn al-Rida will come to use it.” I then asked, “Who is ibn al-Rida ?” He said, “A man from the family of Muhammad (s.a.). He is very pious and well discilpined.” I then asked, “Is it unlawful to use the public bathhouse at the time that he is there?” He said, “We just vacate the place and leave it just for him.” The narrator has said that at that time he came with a few of his slaves. In front of him there was a slave who carried a piece of mat and brought it in all the way to the dressing-room where he spread it down. He (the Imam) also came in offered his greeting of peace and entered the dressing-room while stile riding on the donkey. He then dismounted on the mat. I then said to the man from the family of al-Talha, “Is this the one whom you mentioned with all the superlatives?” He said, “O you, by Allah, he had never done this before. It only has happened today.” I said to my self, “This is because of what I have committed against my own soul.” I then said to myself, “I will wait until he comes out perhaps I will succeed in my plan.” When he came out he asked his people to bring the donkey. The donkey was brought in the dressing-room and he rode on the donkey from the top of the mat. And left. I said to my self, “By Allah, this is enough I have troubled him so much and I will not do any such thing again and will not even thing about doing such things.” My decision was complete and solid. When it became noontime of that day he came to the Mosque while riding on his donkey and dismounted on the spot in the compound of the Mosque where he had usually been doing. Then he turned to Shrine of the Messenger of Allah and offered his greeting of peace and went to the place where he prayed in the house of Fatima . He took off his shoes and stood for prayer.”