He then persuaded his neighbour to stay for the E’sha prayer also.

He then persuaded his neighbour to stay for the E’sha prayer also. Finally, they went back home. The next dawn, the man again knocked on the door of the convert and asked him to go to the mosque with him. The newly converted Muslim retorted, ‘For this religion of yours, seek someone who has more time on his hands than me.

I am a poor person and have a family to feed and look after!’ The Imam (a.s.) concluded, “The ignorant Muslim reverted him to his original faith of Christianity.”[^11] The Faith of Sa’eed Ibn Jubair Sa’eed Ibn Jubair was one of the steadfast and loyal companions of Imam Sajjad (a.s.). Hajjaaj was a bloodthirsty tyrant who had ruled over Kufah, Iraq and Iran for almost twenty years after being appointed by the Bani Umayyah and Bani Marwaan.

He had killed nearly one hundred and twenty thousand people during his reign, and amongst the friends and descendants of Ali (a.s.) murdered by him, were individuals like Kumail Ibn Ziyaad, Qanbar, the slave of Ali, (a.s.) and Sa’eed Ibn Jubair. Hajjaaj ordered Sa’eed to be arrested when he became aware of Sa’eed’s belief and inclination towards Imam Ali (a.s.). Initially, Sa’eed fled to Isfahan, but when Hajjaaj came to know of this, he wrote to the governor of Isfahan, seeking his arrest.

The governor possessed a high regard for Sa’eed and therefore advised him to leave Isfahan for a safer resort. Acting upon this advice, Sa’eed set out towards Qum and then proceeded to Azerbaijan and then to Iraq where he sought to enter the army of A'bd al-Rahmaan Ibn Muhammad, who had initiated a rebellion against Hajjaaj. A'bd al-Rahmaan was defeated and Sa’eed fled to Makkah where he lived in hiding.

During that period, Makkah was under the rule of Khaalid Ibn A'bdullah Qasri, a ruthless individual, who had been placed there by the Caliph, Waleed Ibn A'bd al-Malik. Waleed wrote to him and gave him the order to arrest the well-known Iraqi personalities who were hiding in Makkah, and to send them to Hajjaj. Thus, he arrested Sa’eed and had him dispatched to Kufah. At that time, Hajjaaj was in Waasit, a city near Baghdad, where Sa’eed was eventually brought.

Hajjaaj questioned him about himself, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), Ali (a.s.), Abu Bakr, U'mar, Uthmaan and many others and then asked him: “How should I put you to death?” “Whatever manner you may adopt to kill me, you are bound to be chastised accordingly, on the Day of Judgment,” replied Sa’eed.