At this time the servant came and said...

At this time the servant came and said, "Al-Muwaffaq (brother and commander in chief of the Caliph) has come." When he (Al-Muwaffaq) would come to my father he would receive preference over the officers and other personalities. They stood up in the presence of my father between the door and the seat of my father until he would come in and leave.

My father was still paying attention to abu Muhammad and was talking to him until he looked at his special servants and said, "May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, now you may if you would so wish." ". He then said to his guards to lead him to through the backside so that he (Al-Muwaffaq) would not see him. He stood up and my father also stood up and embraced him and he left.

I asked the guards of my father and his servants, "Woe is you, who was the man whom you addressed by his Kunya before my father and my father treated him as he ddid?" They said, "This 'Alawid man is called al-Hassan ibn Ali, know as ibn al-Rida ." This surprised me even more. The whole day I thought anxiously about his affairs and the behaviors of my father and I did not see him until it was night.

He would usually say his 'Isha (late evening) prayer and would study the things that he would need of the issue to present before the Sultan. When prayed and began to study I went and sat before him while he was alone. He asked, "Oahmad, do you need something?" I said, "Yes, my father.

If you would allow me I would like to ask." He said, "You have permission, my son, say whatever you would like." I said, "Father, who was the man you met this morning and behaved with him the way you did towards him with so much glorification, greatness and reverence with such expressions as, 'May Allah take my soul in service for your cause'?" He said, "My son, he was the Imam ((Leadership with Divine Authority) of the al-Rafida (those who refuse to accept the leadership people other than (Ali and his infallible descendants).

He is al-Hassan ibn Ali, known as ibn al-Rida. He remained quite for a while and then said, "My son if the Imamat leadership would be removed from the Abbassid Caliphs no one from the clan of banu Hashim would deserve to become the Imam except this man. He deserves it because of his distinctions, piety, guidance, safety (from mistakes), his chastity, his worship, his beautiful moral characteristics and perfection.