In the body of Al-Mutawakkil, the Abbasid Caliph, a painful, festering boil appeared that almost caused him to die from its unbearable torment. No physician could treat it and remove the infected material.
Al-Mutawakkil’s mother vowed that if her son recovered, she would donate a large portion of her wealth to Imam Ali al-Hadi (peace be upon him).
On the other hand, Fath ibn Khakan, the minister of Al-Mutawakkil, suggested that he send someone to Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) to inquire if he might have a remedy to heal the boil. Al-Mutawakkil agreed and sent a messenger to Imam Hadi (peace be upon him).
The messenger presented the situation of Al-Mutawakkil’s condition to the Imam. Despite the fact that Al-Mutawakkil was an enemy of the Imam and had caused him much harm, Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) responded with kindness and generosity. He gave him medical advice and stated that by following it, with the will of Allah, the boil would burst and the infected material would be expelled.
The messenger conveyed the Imam’s instructions to Al-Mutawakkil, and those present at the court mocked and ridiculed the Imam’s advice. However, Fath ibn Khakan stated that they would try it and hoped the Imam’s advice would be effective.
After the treatment was applied, the boil burst, and the filth was expelled, saving Al-Mutawakkil’s life.
When Al-Mutawakkil’s mother learned of her son’s recovery, she was greatly pleased and took ten thousand dinars, sealed them in a bag with her seal, and sent it to Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) as a gift.
Later, when Al-Mutawakkil had recovered and felt at ease, he reverted to his former ways. During this time, a person came to him and spoke ill of Imam Hadi (peace be upon him), claiming that the Imam had amassed a large amount of money and weapons against him.
Al-Mutawakkil ordered Sa’id al-Hajib to secretly enter Imam Hadi’s (peace be upon him) house and collect any money or weapons he could find, to present to Al-Mutawakkil.
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad recounts that Sa’id told him: “Following the Caliph’s orders, I went to Imam Hadi’s house at night, placed a ladder on the wall, and climbed onto the roof. I intended to descend in the darkness and enter the room, but I couldn’t see my way and didn’t know where to enter to complete my mission.”
At that moment, Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) called out to him from within the room and said: “Stay where you are, and I will bring a light.” The Imam then lit a candle, brought it outside the room, and the messenger descended the stairs and entered. There, he saw Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) dressed in a woolen garment and a woolen cap, praying on a mat made of palm fibers, facing the Qiblah. Upon seeing him, Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) said: “The rooms are yours to search.” The messenger entered and searched but found very little. However, suddenly, his eyes fell upon a bag of gold sealed with Al-Mutawakkil’s mother’s seal, along with another sealed bag. He took both bags. Then Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) told him to lift the corner of his prayer rug. Beneath it, he found a sheathed sword, which he also took and brought to Al-Mutawakkil.
When Al-Mutawakkil saw his mother’s seal, he was astonished and summoned her to ask about the bags and the seal. One of his attendants said: “When you were afflicted with the painful boil, your mother vowed that if you recovered, she would give ten thousand dinars to Imam Hadi (peace be upon him). She has now fulfilled her vow and sent the money to him, with the seal still intact.”
Al-Mutawakkil then opened the second bag, which contained four hundred dinars in gold. He ordered that the bags, the sword, and the money be returned to Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) by Sa’id al-Hajib.
Sa’id later reported: “Following the Caliph’s orders, I took the bags and sword to Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) and, with great embarrassment, said: ‘Please pardon me for entering without your permission and causing offense, as I was only following orders.’”
The Imam replied: “And those who have wronged will soon know to what place they will return” [1].
Indeed, the Caliphate, aware of the knowledge and status of the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them), was always under the delusion of a conspiracy and uprising from these great figures, particularly with the spread of the virtues, merits, and hadiths of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), as well as their prophecies about the coming of the Savior. They saw this as a threat to their authority. However, after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and the tragedy of Karbala, the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) never saw the conditions of society or the people as conducive to establishing a government of truth, and they never considered rebelling against the ruling Caliphate.
Yet, this delusion of conspiracy led the Caliphs to continually oppress the Imams (peace be upon them) under various pretexts, ultimately resorting to sinister plots to assassinate them.
(Taken from the book Irshad, written by Sheikh Mufid (with additions))[2].
Footnotes:
[1] (Surah Ash-Shu’ara, verse 227)
[2] The above text is adapted from the Persian translation of Irshad by Mr. Mohammad Baqir Saedi Khorasani.