Advice of Scholars - IMÂM-I A’ZAM’S TAQWÂ (PART 2)

Yazid bin ’Amr wanted to make him the governor and the judge of Kûfa city. He would not accept it. He imprisoned him and had him beaten. His blessed head and face swelled. The next day he took the imâm out and repeated his offer with oppression. The imâm said. “Let me consult,” and obtained permission. He went to the blessed city of Mekka and stayed there for five or six years.

The Khalîfa Mansûr used to respect the îmâm very much. He sent him ten thousand aqcha and a concubine as a present. The imâm did not accept them. One aqcha was worth one dirham of silver. Mansûr was cruel. In 145 A. H. , Ibrâhîm bin Abdullah bin Hadrat Hasan had been recruiting soldiers in order to help his brother Muhammad, who had declared his caliphate in the blessed city of Medina. He had come to Kûfa. It was rumoured that Abû Hanîfa had been helping him. Upon hearing this, Mansûr had the îmâm brought to Baghdad from Kûfa. He told him to tell everybody that Mansûr was the rightful Khalifa. He would give him the presidency of the Supreme Court of Appeal in return for this.

He oppressed him very much. The imâm, having too much taqwâ to esteem worldly ranks, did not accept it. Being hurt, Mansûr imprisoned him. He had him thrashed. Having received thirty blows, his blessed feet bled. Mansûr repented and sent him thirty thousand aqcha, but he did not accept it. He imprisoned him again and had him thrashed, each day ten blows more than the day before were added. On the eleventh day, because Mansûr was afraid that the people might attack, he was forced to lie down on his back. Poisonous sherbet was poured into his mouth. He performed sajda (prostration) while dying in 150 A. H. Some fifty thousand people performed his janâza prayer. There was such a great crowd that the prayer was accomplished with difficulty, not before the afternoon prayer. For twenty days many people came to his grave and performed his janâza prayer there.