The latter prepared the things which his master had entrusted to him...

The latter prepared the things which his master had entrusted to him, that is, the staff and the treasure chest containing the seals of the Imams, and handed them over to Ibn Ruh as he had been instructed. Thereafter Ibn Ruh together with the other agents went to the house of Muhammad b. ‘Ali al‑Shalmaghani[^18], his close associate who later became his rival. From the very beginning, Ibn Ruh proved his ability to lead the organization successfully.

His shrewdness enabled him to avoid the consequences of participation in the sectarian discussions which took place at the palace of Ibn Yasar, one of the high officials of al­Muqtadir, the caliph. He used to attend those discussions only as a listener. According to al‑Tusi, Ibn Ruh was so cautious that he even…