40-20 Ahmad ibn Ziyad ibn Ja’far al-Hamadani, Husayn ibn Ibrahim ibn Ahmad ibn Hisham al-Mokttib and Ali ibn Abdullah al-Warraq - may God be pleased with them - narrated that Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashem quoted that when Yasir - the servant - returned from Khorasan after the martyrdom of Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام in Toos, he told me all the news about the events which had happened. Ali ibn Ibrahim narrated that Rayyan ibn al-Salt, who was one of Al-Hassan ibn Sahl’s men and my father quoted on the authority of Muhammad ibn Arafat and Salh ibn Sa’eed Al-Rashidi that all quoted the (following) news about Abil Hassan Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام, “When the time of the dismissed Caliph (al-Amin) was finished and Al-Ma’mun took over the Caliphate, he wrote a letter to Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام and invited him to Khorasan. However, Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام refused for several reasons. However, Al-Ma’mun did not stop here and kept on insisting until Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام got convinced that he was not going to stop. Then Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام left for Marv when his son Abu Ja’far عليه السلام was only seven years old. Al-Ma’mun wrote to him instructing not to come by way of Kufa and Qum. Rather, he عليه السلام was taken to Marv by way of Basra, Ahwaz and Fars. When he arrived in Marv, Al-Ma’mun told him to accept the ranksof Divine Leadership and Caliphate. However, Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام refused this. However, Al-Ma’mun insisted on it a lot. This kept going on for two months, until after a lot of discussions Al-Ma’mun suggested Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام accept the post of the successor to the throne. He عليه السلام accepted this and told him, ‘(I will only accept this) upon conditions that I will state.’ Then Al-Ma’mun said, ‘State your conditions.’ Then Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام wrote, ‘I will accept the succession to the throne upon the conditions that I neither issue any orders, nor do I admonish against anything; I neither judge, nor change anything; that I be excused from all such affairs.’ Then Al-Ma’mun accepted this. He accepted all his conditions and invited the governors, the judges, the army heads, the office workers and all the Abbasids to come and pledge allegiance to him. He spent a lot of money and granted rewards to the army heads and satisfied them all except for three of the army heads named Isa al-Joloodi, Ali ibn Imran and Abu Yunus who did not accept to pledge allegiance to Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام. Then he imprisoned them. The people pledged allegiance to Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام. This was declared in writing to all the towns. Coins were issued in Ar-Ridha’’s عليه السلام name and sermons were delivered in his name on the pulpits. Al-Ma’mun made a lot of donations. When the holidays came, Al-Ma’mun sent someone after Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام and asked him to ride to the congregation, and deliver the ‘Eid prayer and sermon to reassure the people, so that they would recognize his nobility and wholeheartedly attract them to this blessed government. Then Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام sent someone to him who said, ‘You are aware of the conditions set between you and I in accepting this affair.’ Then Al-Ma’mun said, ‘I only want the public, the army and the office workers to feel sure about this affair, feel secure in their hearts and recognize the nobility that God has granted you.’ This discussion kept going on back and forth until the Imam realized that Al-Ma’mun was insisting. Then Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام said, ‘O Commander of the Faithful! I prefer that you excuse me from doing this. However, if you insist, I must perform the prayer just like God’s Prophet صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم and the Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib عليه السلام did.’ He said, ‘Fine. Do it as you wish.’ Then Al-Ma’mun ordered the troops and the people to be at Abil Hassan Ar-Ridha’’s عليه السلام residence in the morning. All the people gathered around the house of Abil Hassan Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام. All the lanes and the streets were filled with men, women and children. All the troops gathered around the door of Ar-Ridha’’s عليه السلام house. Then when the sun rose, Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام stood up, made ablutions, put on a white cotton turban letting one side of it falldown upon his chest and the other side fall behind his head. He took off his socks and slippers and told all his friends to do the same. He held a cane in his hand and left the house. We gathered around him. He was in bare feet and had rolled up his pants half-way to the knees. He had rolled up the outer robe he was wearing half-way up. When he came among us, we were walking ahead of him. He raised his head up to the sky and shouted God is the Greatest four times. We all felt that the heavens and the buildings were all shouting the same. The troops and the people at the door were all standing there in an orderly fashion. The troops had their weapons and were really majestic. When we appeared to them in this (above-mentioned) form with bare feet and having wrapped up our outer robes, and Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام had appeared among the people, he stopped at the door and said, Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar Ala ma Hadana! Allahu Akbar Al ma Razaqana Min Bahimatel An’am! walhamdullilah-e-Ala ma Ablana! He raised his voice, and so did we. We kept on saying the Festival’s glorifications. At once, the whole city of Marv broke out in tears and cried out. He said the above three times. The soldiers got off their horses, took off their boots and left them when they saw Abil Hassan عليه السلام. All of Marv broke out in tears and mourning. The people could not stop crying. Abul Hassan عليه السلام took ten steps, stopped and repeated the glorifications four times. It was just as if the heavens and all the buildings responded to him. Al-Ma’mun was informed about this. Thul-Riasatayn Al-Fadhl ibn Sahl told him, ‘O Commander of the Faithful! Should Ar-Ridha’ reach the place for the prayer in this way, it will cause sedition among the people. Consider asking him to return.’ Then Al-Ma’mun sent someone to Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام and asked him عليه السلام to return home. He عليه السلام asked for his slippers and returned home.
