3. His Companions
InspiteofthedifficultpoliticalatmospheretheImamhadtrainedgreat
companions in knowledge as well as in piety.
IbnAbi‘Umayr:AnyonefamiliarwiththeShi’ihadithliteraturewould
testifythatIbnAbi‘UmaryisthesourceofcountlessahadithonIslamic
laws.JustbecausehewasastudentofImamMusaal-Kādhim(a.s.),he
sufferedatthehandoftheoppressiveregimesofthe‘Abbāsids.Oncehe
wasarrestedandaskedtorevealthenamesofalltheprominentShi‘asof
Iraq.He refusedeven thoughhe had to suffer a hundred lashes after
which hewashanged betweentwo trees.According toShaykh Mufid,
IbnAbu‘Umary wasput inprisonforseventeenyearsjust becausehe
was a follower of the Ahlu ’l-Bayt.
‘AlibinYaqtinbelongedtoaprominentShi‘afamilyinKufa.Afterthe
‘Abbasidrevolution,Hārunar-Rashidofferedhimthepositionofminis-
terinhisgovernment.HeapproachedImamMusaal-Kādhim(a.s.)who
told him to accept it but refrainfrom ever confiscating the money or
propertyoftheShi‘as.So‘AlibinYaqtin,toshowhisloyaltytothegov-
ernment, would confiscate the money of the Shi‘as but would then
secretly return it to them.
OnceImamal-Kādhim(a.s.)told‘AlibinYaqtin:“Youpromisemeone
thing;andIguaranteeyouthreethings:youwon’tbekilled,neitherface
poverty nor suffer imprisonment.”
‘Ali: “What do I have to promise you?”
Imam (a.s.):“Promisemethatwheneverafollower ofourscomesto
you, you would honour him and not turn him away.”