Then he returned, kissed his head, and said: 'O uncle, advise me.' He said: 'I advise you to fear Allah regarding my blood.' He replied: 'May Allah do so and so to whoever intends evil for you,' and he did.

Then he returned and kissed his head, then said: 'O uncle, advise me.' He said: 'I advise you to fear Allah regarding my blood.' He cursed whoever intended evil for him. Then he moved away from him, and I left with him. My brother said to me: 'O ‘Alī, stay where you are.' I stood where I was. He entered his house, then called me, and I entered to him. He took a purse containing a hundred dinars and gave it to me, saying: 'Tell your nephew to use this for his secret matter.' ‘Alī said: So, I took it and rolled it up in the edge of my cloak. Then he gave me another hundred and said: 'Give this to him too.' Then he gave me another purse and said: 'Give this to him too.' I said: 'May I be sacrificed for you, if you fear from him what you mentioned, why do you help him against yourself?' He said: 'If I maintain connection with him and he severs connection with me, Allah will cut short his life.' Then he took a leather pillow, in which there were three thousand clean dirhams, and said: 'Give this to him too.'

He said: So, I went out to him and gave him the first hundred. He rejoiced greatly and prayed for his uncle. Then I gave him the second and the third. He rejoiced so much that I thought he would return and not leave. Then I gave him the three thousand dirhams, and he went on his way until he entered upon Hārūn and greeted him as Caliph, and said: 'I did not think there were two Caliphs on earth until I saw my uncle Mūsā ibn Ja‘far being greeted as Caliph.' Hārūn sent him a hundred thousand dirhams. Then Allah struck him with a throat affliction. He did not see or touch a single dirham from it."¹

So, the reason for his imprisonment was from his own Household, from those who claimed affection and love for them, as his father Ja‘far Al-Ja‘āfirah (may his glory be exalted) said: The one who claims affection and love is worse than the Jews, the Christians, and...