Payment of the Debt
A man from the family of Abu Rafi had me in his debt. He demanded payment from me and insisted me to pay him back. When I realised that, I prayed the morning prayer in the Masjid un-Nabi(S.A.W.) in Medina, and I set out to see Imam Reza(A.S.). On that day, he was in the valley of al-Arid in Medina. When I got near his door, he came out on a mule. He was wearing a shirt and a cloak. When I looked at him, I felt ashamed before him. When he reached me, he stood and looked at me. I greeted him - it was the month of Ramadan. I said: "May I be your ransom, your retainer so-and-so has me in his debt. By God, he has spread reports of me around."
By God, I was thinking to myself, that he would tell him to leave me alone. By God, I had not told him how much I owed nor had I given specific details about anything. He told me to sit down until he came back. I was still there at the time when I prayed the sunset prayer. I had been fasting and I had become troubled and wanted to leave. Suddenly he came. There were (a crowd of) people around him.
Beggars were begging from him and he was giving them alms. Then he retired from them and went into his house. He came out and called me. I rose and went in with him. He sat down and I sat down with him. I began to talk to him about Ibn Musayyib (the governor of Medina during that time). Often I used to tell him about him. When I had finished, he said to me: "I don't think that you have eaten yet?"
"No," I replied.
Imam Reza(A.S.) called for food for me and it was put in front of me. He told the servant to eat with me. The servant and I had our fill of food. When we had finished, he said: "Raise the cushion and take what is under it."
I raised it and there were (many) dinars. I took them and put them in my sleeve. He told four of his servants to accompany me to my house. I said to him: "May I be your ransom, the spy of Ibn Musayyib (the governor of Medina) will be sitting (there) and I would hate him to see me while I was with your servants."
"True," he said, "may Allah direct you with guidance."
Then he told them that they should leave whenever I sent them back. When I was near my house and I could see it, I sent them back. I went to my house and called for a lamp. I examined the dinars and there were forty-eight dinars. I only owed the man twenty-eight dinars. Among them was a dinar which shone greatly. Its beauty delighted me and I picked it up and took it nearer the lamp. On it was clearly engraved: "The debt to the man is twenty-eight dinars and the rest is yours."
No, by God, I had not informed Imam Reza(A.S.) of the precise amount of my debt.
Prophecy
Imam Reza(A.S.) left medina to make the pilgrimage in the year in which Harun al-Rashid,the then ruling Abbasid caliph made the pilgrimage. He came to a mountain called Fari on the left of the road. Abu al-Hasan al-Reza(A.S.), looked at the mountain and said:
"Fari, the one who destroys (a resting place in you) whill be cut limb from limb." We did not know what that meant.
When Harun reached that place he stopped there. Ja'far bin Yahya Barmaki the grand vizier of Harun al-Rashid went up the mountain and ordered a resting-place to be set up for him. On his return from Mecca, Ja'far bin Yahya Barmaki went back up the hill and ordered it to be destroyed.But as soon as when he got to Iraq Ja'far bin Yahya Barmaki was cut limb from limb by the orders of Harun al-Rashid in the palace coup staged by the caliph against the Barmaki family.
An Ingot of Gold
I (i.e.Ibrahim b. Musa) kept worrying Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Reza(A.S.) about something I needed from him and he promised me that I would get it.
One day he set out to meet the governor of Medina. I went with him. He reached the vicinity of the palace of of the governor, and stopped there under some trees. I stopped with him. There was no one else with us.
I said to him: "May I be your ransom, the Ramadhan festival is drawing near and, by God, I don't even possess a dirham."
He scratched the earth vigorously with his whip. Then he struck it with his hand and took out of it an ingot of gold. Then he said: "Use this but keep secret what you have seen.
Fore-telling
I (i.e.Musafir) was with Imam Abul-Hasan al-Reza(A.S.), at Mina. Al-Fadl b.Yahya b. Khalid Barmaki passed by and covered his face (to escape) from the dust.
Imam Reza(A.S.), said: "Wretched ones who do not know what will happen to them during this year!" Then he added: "The most surprising thing will be what happens to Harun(the Abbasid caliph). The two of them i.e. al-fadl b. Yahya b. Khalid and Harun will be like these two. "Then he joined his two fingers together.
[Musafir reported:]
By God, I did not understand the meaning of his statement until we buried Harun together with al-Fadl.
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