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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Uyun Akhbar Ar-Ridha Volume 1 Chapter 7: On Traditions About Musa Ibn Ja’far (a.s.), Harun Ar-Rashid And Musa Ibn Al-Mahdi 7-1 Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Ishaq al-Taliqani - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Sowly quoted on the authority of Abul Abbas Ahmad ibn Abdullah, on the authority of Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Soleiman al-Nowfali, on the authority of Salih ibn Ali ibn Atay’yat that, “The reason for taking Musa ibn Ja’far (a.s.) to Baghdad was that Harun had decided to entrust the affairs (of the government) to his son Muhammad ibn Zubaydeh.

He was one of his fourteen sons. He chose three of them. He chose Muhammad ibn Zubaydah to be his successor to the throne, Abdullah Al-Ma’mun to be his successor, and Al-Qasim al-Mo’taman to be the one to follow them. Harun decided to announce this so that everyone - the general public and the elites - knew about it. Then in the year 179 A.H. (794 A.D.) he set out for a Hajj pilgrimage.

He issued an order to all towns and ordered that the jurisprudents, the scholars, the Quran recitors, and the military commanders all be present there during the time of the Hajj pilgrimage. He himself set out for Medina.

Ali ibn Muhammad al-Nowafali added, “My father narrated for me that the reason why Yahya ibn Khalid’s (Harun’s vizier) vilification of Musa ibn Ja’far in the presence of Ar-Rashid was that Harun had entrusted his son Muhammad ibn Zubaydah to Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Ash’ath to be educated. Yahya did not like this and told himself that when (Harun) Ar-Rashid dies Muhammad (Al-Amin) will become the ruler, and this will be the end of the period of his power and that of his children.

He thought that Muhammad would turn the affairs over to Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Ash’ath and his children. Yahya knew that Ja’far was a Shiite. Therefore, he acted as if he was of the same sect. Then Ja’far became happy and told him about all of his affairs, and what he thought about Musa ibn Ja’far (a.s.). Once Yahya became informed of his beliefs, he talked about him with (Harun) Ar-Rashid.