I greeted him and he replied to me...

I greeted him and he replied to me, and said: Do not fear anything, for I pardon you throughout the night, and until tomorrow noon.' He then ordered me to sit next to him; meanwhile a tied and shackled man was brought to him; Hajjaj said: `This old man claims that A1-Hasan and Al-Husayn are the Prophet's children; he shall prove this from the Qur’an, or, I will cut his head off.' I said: 'He should be freed from his chains, because if he proves his claim, he will surely be freed, and if not, a sword cannot break those chains.' They freed the man of his shackles, but kept his hands cuffed; I was grieved when I saw that he was Sa'id Ibn Jubair, and said: How can he bring proof from the Qur’an in this regard?

Hajjaj said: `Bring me proof from the Qur’an, or, will behead you.' He said: `Wait.' He waited for a while when Hajjaj repeated his demand, and Sa'id asked for more time to think. When Hajjaj repeated his demand for the third time, Sa'id said: `I seek refuge in Allah from the cursed devil, in the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful.

We gave him Isaac, and Jacob; all (three) We guided; and before him, We guided Noah; and among his progeny, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron; thus do We reward those who do good.' (6: 84) Then he stopped and said to Hajjaj: `Read the following verse, And Zakariya and John and Isa.' Then Sa'id said:…