The Conditions to Work for al-Sultan

دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ مُوسَى ع فَقَالَ لِي يَا زِيَادُ إِنَّكَ لَتَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ‌ السُّلْطَانِ قَالَ قُلْتُ أَجَلْ قَالَ لِي وَ لِمَ قُلْتُ أَنَا رَجُلٌ لِي مُرُوءَةٌ[1] وَ عَلَيَّ عِيَالٌ وَ لَيْسَ وَرَاءَ ظَهْرِي شَيْ‌ءٌ فَقَالَ لِي يَا زِيَادُ لَأَنْ أَسْقُطَ مِنْ حَالِقٍ فَأَتَقَطَّعَ‌[2] قِطْعَةً قِطْعَةً أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَتَوَلَّى لِأَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ عَمَلًا أَوْ أَطَأَ بِسَاطَ أَحَدِهِمْ إِلَّ

“I once went to visit abu al-Hassan Musa (a.s.), and he (the Imam) asked me, ‘O Ziyad, do you work for Sultan ? 5 I replied, ‘Yes, I do so . 5 He (the Imam) said to me, ‘Why do you do so ? 5 I replied, ‘I am a man of fairness and I have a family to feed. I do not have any other means for support . 5 He (the Imam) said,

ذُكِرَ عِنْدَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْعِصَابَةِ قَدْ وُلِّيَ وَلَايَةً فَقَالَ كَيْفَ صَنِيعَتُهُ إِلَى إِخْوَانِهِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ خَيْرٌ فَقَالَ أُفٍّ يَدْخُلُونَ فِيمَا لَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُمْ وَ لَا يَصْنَعُونَ إِلَى إِخْوَانِهِمْ خَيْراً.

“In the presence of abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), a man of this group (followers of ‘A’immah) was mentioned and that he had become the in charge person of an official position of the rulers. He (the Imam) asked, ‘How is his dealing with his brothers in belief ? 5 I (the narrator) replied, ‘There is nothing good in him in this

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع مَا تَقُولُ فِي أَعْمَالِ هَؤُلَاءِ- قَالَ إِنْ كُنْتَ لَا بُدَّ فَاعِلًا فَاتَّقِ أَمْوَالَ الشِّيعَةِ قَالَ فَأَخْبَرَنِي عَلِيٌّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَجْبِيهَا مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ عَلَانِيَةً وَ يَرُدُّهَا عَلَيْهِمْ فِي السِّرِّ[5].

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), ‘How is working for these people ? 5 He (the Imam) said, ‘If you do not have any choice, you must observe caution about properties of al-Shi 5 ah . 5 He (the narrator) has said that Ali told me, ‘He would collect funds from al-Shi 5 ah in public, then return it to them secretly . 555

كَتَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ أَرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً أَسْتَأْذِنُهُ فِي عَمَلِ السُّلْطَانِ فَلَمَّا كَانَ فِي آخِرِ كِتَابٍ كَتَبْتُهُ إِلَيْهِ أَذْكُرُ أَنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَى خَبْطِ عُنُقِي‌[1] وَ أَنَّ السُّلْطَانَ يَقُولُ لِي إِنَّكَ رَافِضِيٌّ وَ لَسْنَا نَشُكُّ فِي أَنَّكَ تَرَكْتَ الْعَمَلَ لِلسُّلْطَانِ لِلرَّفْضِ فَكَتَبَ إِلَيَّ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع قَدْ فَهِمْتُ كِتَابَكَ وَ مَا ذَكَرْتَ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ فَإ

“I wrote to abu al-Hassan, al-Rida 5 (a.s.), for fourteen years asking his permission to work for Sultan. In the last letter I wrote saying that I fear for my life if I did not work for the Sultan, because he calls me a Rafidiy (rejecter) saying, ‘We have no doubt that you have refused to work for the Sultan because of

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ مَا مِنْ جَبَّارٍ إِلَّا وَ مَعَهُ مُؤْمِنٌ يَدْفَعُ اللَّهُ بِهِ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ هُوَ أَقَلُّهُمْ حَظّاً فِي الْآخِرَةِ يَعْنِي أَقَلَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ حَظّاً لِصُحْبَةِ الْجَبَّارِ.

“I once heard abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘With every tyrant there is a believing person with whom Allah defends the believing people, and he (such believing person) receives the least of rewards in the next life because of his association with the tyrant.’”

رَافَقْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع فِي السَّنَةِ الَّتِي حَجَّ فِيهَا فِي أَوَّلِ خِلَافَةِ الْمُعْتَصِمِ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ وَ أَنَا مَعَهُ عَلَى الْمَائِدَةِ وَ هُنَاكَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءِ السُّلْطَانِ إِنَّ وَالِيَنَا جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ رَجُلٌ يَتَوَلَّاكُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ يُحِبُّكُمْ وَ عَلَيَّ فِي دِيوَانِهِ خَرَاجٌ فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ جَعَلَنِيَ اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ أَنْ تَكْتُبَ إِلَيْهِ كِتَاباً بِالْإِحْسَانِ إِلَيَّ فَ

"I accompanied Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) in the year he performed Hajj during the beginning of al-Mu'tasim's caliphate. While we were at the table, and a group of the Sultan's officials were present, I said to him: 'May I be your ransom, our governor is a man who is loyal to you, Ahl al-Bayt, and he loves you. I owe tax

قَالَ لِي أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع‌ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مَعَ السُّلْطَانِ أَوْلِيَاءَ يَدْفَعُ بِهِمْ عَنْ أَوْلِيَائِهِ.

“Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), once said to me, ‘Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, has friends with the Sultan through whom He protects His friends.’”