So I wrote to him informing him -asws of my evil condition...

قَالَ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ قَدْ وَفَى لَكَ الْحَوْلُ فَانْتَقِلْ مِنْهَا إِلَى قِرَاءَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ He (the narrator) said, ‘He -asws wrote back to me: ‘The year has passed for you, so transfer from it to the recitation of: Surely We revealed it [97:1] (Surah Al-Qadr)’.

قَالَ فَفَعَلْتُ فَمَا كَانَ إِلَّا يَسِيراً حَتَّى بَعَثَ إِلَيَّ ابْنُ أَبِي دَاوُدَ فَقَضَى عَنِّي دَيْنِي وَ أَجْرَى عَلَيَّ وَ عَلَى عِيَالِي وَ وَجَّهَنِي إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ فِي وَكَالَتِهِ بِبَابِ كَلَّاءَ وَ أَجْرَى عَلَيَّ خَمْسَمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ He (the narrator) said, ‘So I did it, and it was only a short time until Ibn Abu Dawood sent to me, so he paid of my debts form me and (made an income) to flow upon me and my dependants, and diverted me to Al-Basra regarding to his representation at Baab Kala’a, and made to flow five hundred Dirhams upon me (as a salary).

وَ كَتَبْتُ مِنَ الْبَصْرَةِ عَلَى يَدَيْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ( عليه السلام ) إِنِّي كُنْتُ سَأَلْتُ أَبَاكَ عَنْ كَذَا وَ كَذَا وَ شَكَوْتُ إِلَيْهِ كَذَا وَ كَذَا وَ إِنِّي قَدْ نِلْتُ الَّذِي أَحْبَبْتُ فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ تُخْبِرَنِي يَا مَوْلَايَ كَيْفَ أَصْنَعُ فِي قِرَاءَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ أَقْتَصِرُ عَلَيْهَا وَحْدَهَا فِي فَرَائِضِي وَ غَيْرِهَا أَمْ أَقْرَأُ مَعَهَا غَيْرَهَا أَمْ لَهَا حَدٌّ أَعْمَلُ بِهِ I wrote from Al-Basra upon the hands of Ali Bin Mahziyar, to Abu Al-Hassan -asws : ‘I had asked your -asws father -asws about such and such, and I complained to him -asws of such and such, and I have obtained that which I like.