To accomplish this end he adopted some pro-Shi‘ite policies...

To accomplish this end he adopted some pro-Shi‘ite policies: • he openly used to say that Imam ‘Ali bin Abi Tālib was better suited for caliphate than Abu Bakr or ‘Umar ibn Khattāb. • he openly used to curse Mu‘āwiya bin Abi Sufyān. • he gave Fadak back to the descendants of ‘Ali and Fātima.

This would be accomplished by having the Imams become engrossed in worldly matters and politics itself, which had always been considered by the Shi‘ites to be evil and impure. In this way their religious organization would crumble and they would no longer present any danger to the caliphate. Obviously, after accomplishing these ends, the removal of the Imam would present no difficulties to the ‘Abbāsids.

Imam ar-Ridha’s Historical Journey to Marw In order to have his last decision put into effect, Ma’mun asked Imam ar-Ridha to come to Marw from Medina. This was the longest journey undertaken by any of the Shi‘a Imams: from Medina (north-west of Arabia) to Marw (in Turkmenistan, north of the Afghan border). The Imam passed through southern Iraq, into sourthern Persia on to the famous city of Neshapur and further north into Turkmenistan.

This journey itself availed an opportunity for the Muslim populace to see the Shi‘a Imam (a descendant of the Holy Prophet) in person and hear his words of wisdom.

While the Imam was about to leave Nishapur, the scholars of the city took hold of his camel’s reign and insisted upon him to narrate from his forefathers: The Imam obliged as follows: My father, Musa bin Ja‘far, narrated to me from his father, Ja‘far bin Muhammad, who narrated from his father, Muhammad bin ‘Ali, who narrated from his father, ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, who narrated from his father, al-Husayn bin ‘Ali, who narrated from his father, ‘Ali bin Abi Tālib, who said, I heard the Prophet (s.a.w.) saying, “I heard Jibrail saying, ‘The Almighty Allāh said, “I surely am the God besides whom there is no god, so worship Me.