Book 1, Chapter #10


On The Reasons why Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha (a.s) accepted the succession to the throne from Al-Ma’mun, what Went On, those who were displeased and those who were pleased

Ḥadīth #6

:421

6 - حَدَّثَنا أَبُو مُحَمَّد الحَسَن بْنِ يَحْيَى العَلَوِيالحُسَيْنِيِّ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ بِمَدِينَة السَّلامُ قالَ أَخْبَرنِي جَدِّي يَحْيَى بْنِ الحَسَن بْنِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ عُبِيْد اللَّه بْنِ الحُسَيْن قالَ حَدَّثَني مُوسَى بْنِ سلمة كُنْتُ بِخُرَاسَانَ مَعَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ فَسَمِعْتُ أَنَّ ذَا الرِّئَاسَتَيْنِ الْفَضْلَ بْنَ سَهْلٍ خَرَجَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ وَا عَجَبَا لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ عَجَباً سَلُونِي مَا رَأَيْتُ فَقَالُوا مَا رَأَيْتَ أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَقُولُ لِعَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى‏ a.sُ قَدْ رَأَيْتُ أَنْ أُقَلِّدَكَ أَمْرَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَأَفْسَخَ مَا فِي رَقَبَتِي وَأَجْعَلَهُ فِي رَقَبَتِكَ وَرَأَيْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُوسَى‏ a.sُ يَقُولُ لَهُ اللَّهَ اللَّهَ لا طَاقَةَ لِي بِذَلِكَ وَلا قُوَّةَ فَمَا رَأَيْتُ خِلافَةً قَطُّ كَانَتْ أَضْيَعَ مِنْهَا أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَتَفَصَّى مِنْهَا وَيَعْرِضُهَا عَلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُوسَى يَرْفُضُهَا وَيَأْبَى.

40-6 Abu Muhammad Al-Hassan ibn Yahya al-Alawi Al-Husayni - may God be pleased with him - narrated in Medina that his grandfather Yahya ibn Al-Hassan ibn Ja’far ibn Ubaydillah ibn Al-Husayn quoted on the authority of Musa ibn Salamat, “I was in the province of Khorasan with Muhammad ibn Ja’far. Then I heard that one day Thul-Riasatayn Al-Fadhl ibn Sahl came out and said, ‘I have dreamt something amazing. Ask me what I saw.’ They asked, ‘May God maintain your health! What did you dream?’ He said, ‘I dreamt that the Commander of the Faithful tell Ali ibn Musa Ar-Ridha’ (a.s), ‘I am planning to turn over the affairs of the Muslims to you, dismiss myself from the post of the Caliphate and put it on your shoulders.’ I saw that Ali ibn Musa (a.s) replied, ‘By God! I do not have the power to do this, nor do I have the strength.’ Fadhl added, ‘I had never seen the Caliphate more belittled than that. The Commander of the Faithful resigns and hands it over to Ali ibn Musa (a.s) , and Ali ibn Musa (a.s) turns him down and rejects it.’