Hadith 81

ed and swallowed up all of them, and it disappeared. I place my hand upon the water and repeated the phrases. The water sank, all of it, the phrases were removed from my chest from my very moment, and I could not remember a single letter from it. Al-Mamoun said, ‘O Abu Al-Salt! Al-Reza-asws instructed you with this? ’ I said, ‘Yes’. He said, ‘Al-Reza-asws had not ceased to show us wonders during his lifetime, then he-asws shows us these after his-asws expiry’. He said to his ministers, ‘What is this? ’ He said, ‘He-asws has struck an example for you all that you will be enjoying in the world a little, like these (small) fishes. The one of them would emerge and destroy you all’. When he-asws was buried, Al-Mamoun said to me, ‘Teach me the phrases’. I said, ‘By Allah-azwj, these have been removed from my heart, and I do not remember a single phrase from it, and by Allah-azwj, you have ratified him-asws’. But he did not ratify me and threatened me of the killing if I do not teach him these (phrases), and he ordered with me to the prison. He used to summon me every day to the killing, or I should teach him that. I kept swearing to him time after another. It was like that for a year, so my chest was constricted. I stood during the night of Friday and washed and stayed awake in performing ruk’u and Sajdah and crying and beseeching to Allah-azwj regarding my being finished off (from the prison). When I had prayed the Fajr Salat when Abu Ja’far-asws Bin Al-Reza-asws entered to see me, and he-asws said: ‘O Abu Al-Salt! Your chest is constricted? ’ I said, ‘Yes, by Allah-azwj, O my Master-asws! ’ He-asws said: ‘Had you done this before, what you have done tonight, Allah-azwj would have Finished you off (from the prison) like what He-azwj is Finishing you off (from the prison) now’. Then he-asws said: ‘Arise! ’ I said, ‘To where, and the guards are at the door of the prison and the torches are in their hands? ’ He-asws said: ‘Arise, for they will not be seeing you nor will you be meeting with them after your day (today)’. He-asws held my hand and took me out from between them, and they were sitting discussing, and the torches were between them, but they could not see us. When we came to be outside the prison, he-asws said: ‘Which city do you intend? ’ I said, ‘My house is at Herat’. He-asws said: ‘Place your cloak upon your face and hold my-asws hand’. I thought he-asws transferred me from his-asws right to his-asws left, then he-asws said to me: ‘Uncover it! ’ I could not see him-asws and behold, I was at the door of my house. I entered it. I have not met Al-Mamoun, nor with anyone from his companions up to this time’’. [86]