Unlikeothercaliphs,Ma’mundisplayedgreatinterestinhavingworks
ontheintellectualsciencestranslatedinto Arabic.He organisedgather-
ingsinwhichscholarsofdifferentreligionsandsectsassembledandcar-
riedoutscientificandscholarlydebates.Imam‘Aliar-Ridha alsoparti-
cipatedintheseassembliesandjoinedinthediscussionswithscholarsof
otherreligions.Manyofthesedebatesarerecordedinthecollectionsof
Shi‘ite hadiths. These debates also gave a high profile to the Imam’s
statusinknowledgetotheextentthatpeoplestartedmakingcomments
that ‘Ali ar-Ridha is more deserving of the caliphate than Ma’mun.
ConcernedwiththespreadofShi‘ismandthepopularityofImamar-
Ridha,Ma’munsoughttofindaremedyforthisdifficulty—hehadthe
Imampoisoned andmartyred.Afterhisdeaththe Imamwasburiedin
the city of Tus in Iran, which is now called Mashhad.