At dawn the Imam -asws came to me and said, ‘O Ishaq, wake up.

At dawn the Imam -asws came to me and said, ‘O Ishaq, wake up.’ I then got up. I then opened my eyes and found myself at my own door in Baghdad.

I went inside and met my father among my people and told them that I spent the day of ‘Arafah (ninth of Zil-Haj) in the army camp (Samarra) and for Eid (tenth of Zil-Haj) I am in Baghdad.’ [2] The narrator says in a Hadith: ‘AI-Mutawakkil became so seriously ill because of a boil that he was about to die and no one had the courage to touch him and operate on him. His mother vowed to send a large sum of money to Imam Ali -asws Ibn Mohammed -asws from her own property if her son recovered.

Fath ibn Khaqan had advised him (AI-Mutawakkil) to ask the Imam -asws about it saying, ‘He -asws might know something that could help relieve you.’ He (Al-Mutawakkil) sent the message to the Imam -asws and explained his illness. The messenger returned with a message that said, ‘Warm up oil residue from sheep mixed with extracts from roses and place it on the boil.’ When the messenger explained it to them they laughed at his -asws words.

However, al-Fath said, ‘He -asws , by Allah -azwj , knows best about what he -asws has said.’ They brought the oil and prepared it as explained and placed it on the boil. After this, the patient fell asleep, his pain calmed down and he began to recover. His mother was given the glad news of his recovery. She sent ten thousand Dinars to him -asws (Abu al-Hassan -asws ) marked with her own insignia.

Once he had fully recovered from his illness, Al-Mutawakkil was told by AI-Bat Al-Alawi (who was acting as a spy) that ‘large sums of money and weapons had been delivered to him -asws (Abu Al-Hassan -asws ), Al-Mutawakkil ordered Saed, the police chief, to search the Imam -asws ’s house during the night and confiscate any money and weapons found.

Ibrahim ibn Mohammed has said, ‘Saed, the chief of police, told me that: “when I went to the Imam -asws ’s house during the night I had a ladder to climb over the wall. When I climbed on the roof and then climbed down a few steps in the dark I did not know how to reach the house. Abu Al-Hassan -asws called me, ‘O Saed, hold on until they bring you candles. In a little while they brought me a candle, I climbed down and found him with a woollen gown on him -asws and woollen cap.

In front of him there was a prayer rug with a mat on it and I had no doubt that he -asws was praying.