I have seen a wonder from you!’ He said, ‘And what is it?’ قُلْتُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَأَيْتُ غَضَبَكَ عَلَى جَعْفَرٍ غَضَباً لَمْ أَرَكَ غَضِبْتَهُ عَلَى أَحَدٍ قَطُّ وَ لَا عَلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ وَ لَا عَلَى غَيْرِهِ مِنْ كُلِّ النَّاسِ حَتَّى بَلَغَ بِكَ الْأَمْرُ أَنْ تَقْتُلَهُ بِالسَّيْفِ وَ حَتَّى إِنَّكَ أَخْرَجْتَ مِنْ سَيْفِكَ شِبْراً ثُمَّ أَغْمَدْتَهُ ثُمَّ عَاتَبْتَهُ ثُمَّ أَخْرَجْتَ مِنْهُ ذِرَاعاً ثُمَّ عَاتَبْتَهُ ثُمَّ أَخْرَجْتَهُ كُلَّهُ إِلَّا شَيْئاً يَسِيراً فَلَمْ أَشُكَّ فِي قَتْلِكَ لَهُ I said, ‘O commander of the faithful!
I was your anger upon Ja’far -asws such anger I had not seen you being angered upon anyone at all, nor upon Abdullah Bin Al-Hassan, nor upon someone else from all the people, until the matter reached with you that you would kill him -asws with the sword, and until you extracted from your sword a palm’s width, then sheathed it, then rebuked him, then extracted a cubit from it, then rebuked him, then you extracted all of it except something little, so I had no doubt regarding you killing him -asws .
ثُمَّ انْجَلَى ذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ فَعَادَ رِضًى حَتَّى أَمَرْتَنِي فَسَوَّدْتَ لِحْيَتَهُ بِالْغَالِيَةِ الَّتِي لَا يَتَغَلَّفُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَ لَا يَغْلِفُ مِنْهَا وَلَدُكَ الْمَهْدِيُّ وَ لَا مَنْ وَلَّيْتَهُ عَهْدَكَ وَ لَا عُمُومَتَكَ وَ أَجَزْتَهُ وَ حَمَلْتَهُ وَ أَمَرْتَنِي بِتَشْيِيعِهِ مُكَرَّماً Then all that was gone, and you returned to be pleased to the extent that you ordered me and blackened his beard with the expensive perfume which no one applies from it except you, nor does your son Al-Mahdy apply from it, one who you have chosen as governors, nor your generality, and you rewarded him -asws , and carried him -asws (upon your mule) and ordered me with escorting him -asws honourably!’ فَقَالَ وَيْحَكَ يَا رَبِيعُ لَيْسَ هُوَ كَمَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تُحَدِّثَ بِهِ وَ سَتْرُهُ أَوْلَى وَ لَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ يَبْلُغَ وُلْدَ فَاطِمَةَ فَيَفْتَخِرُونَ وَ يَتِيهُونَ بِذَلِكَ عَلَيْنَا حَسْبُنَا مَا نَحْنُ فِيهِ وَ لَكِنْ لَا أَكْتُمُكَ شَيْئاً انْظُرْ مَنْ فِي الدَّارِ فَنَحِّهِمْ He said, ‘Woe be to you, O Rabie!
It isn’t like what is befitting that you should be narrating with it, and concealing it is foremost, and I do not like that it should reach the sons -asws of (Syeda) Fatima -asws , so they -asws would be priding and boasting with that upon us. It suffices us (Abbasids) what we are in. But I shall not conceal anything from you. Look who is in the house, so forbid them’.