Imam Musa bin Ja’far (Peace be upon them): “The wise person does not make promises about things they cannot accomplish, does not become attached to things for which they may be reproached because of their hopes, and does not act on matters in which they fear failure.” [1]
One year, Harun al-Rashid (the Abbasid caliph) came to Medina with the intention of performing Hajj. Shortly after his arrival, he ordered the arrest of Musa bin Ja’far (Peace be upon them). They arrested him while he was in the mosque and brought him to Harun. Harun had two litters prepared and, while Imam Musa was chained, placed him in one of them in a way that his identity was concealed. He then sent one of the litters, along with some guards, to Kufa and the other to Basra. The Imam was in the litter heading toward Basra, where Isa, the governor of the city, received him and imprisoned him there.
Isa kept the Imam imprisoned in Basra for a year until Harun wrote him a letter ordering him to execute the Imam. Isa consulted some of his close advisors and officials about killing the Imam. They advised against it, suggesting he request Harun to release him instead. Isa then wrote a letter to Harun, saying: “Musa bin Ja’far (Peace be upon them) has been in my prison for a while now. I have tested him, and I assigned guards to watch him, but nothing unusual has been observed. He is always engaged in worship. I appointed a person to listen to his prayers, but he never curses you or me, nor does he speak ill of us. He only prays for forgiveness and mercy for himself. Now, I will either send him to you, or I will release him because I can no longer keep him imprisoned.”
It is narrated that some of the guards appointed by Isa said that they often heard the Imam praying: “O Allah! You know that I asked You for a secluded place for worship, and You have provided me with such a place. So, all praise is due to You.”
Harun then sent Imam Musa Kazim (Peace be upon them) to one of his ministers, Fadl ibn Rabi’, instructing him to execute the Imam. However, Fadl refrained from carrying out the order. Harun next assigned the task to Fadl ibn Yahya, but he also refused to kill the Imam. Finally, Harun entrusted the task to someone who lacked mercy. The messenger of Harun went to Baghdad and called upon Sindi ibn Shahik (the head of the police in Baghdad and a Jewish convert). He instructed Sindi to kill Musa bin Ja’far (Peace be upon them). Sindi poisoned some food and took it to the Imam in the prison. The Imam became severely ill for three days due to the poison, and after enduring years of suffering and hardships in prison, he was martyred in the most difficult conditions.
Taken from the book “Irshad” by Sheikh Mufid, translated and explained by Sayyid Hashem Rasouli Mahallati (with some changes).
Footnote:
[1] (Al-Kafi, Volume 1, Book of Reason and Ignorance, Hadith No. 12)