He also served as supervisor of the Land-Tax Bureau during the reign of al-Wāthiq.

186. Abū Mukhālid Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Ḍarīr *
     A jurist, dialectical theologian, and Muʿtazilite, renowned for his keen intellect. He wrote on the question of the Qur’an’s creation, lived a life of asceticism and scrupulous piety, and was nicknamed “the Preacher.” Ibn Kāmil dates his death to 268 AH. People flocked to his study circle, and he studied under Jaʿfar ibn Mubashshir. He once debated Dāwūd al-Ẓāhirī in the presence of al-Muwaffaq concerning the evidentiary force of a single-chain report (khabar al-wāḥid). Having refuted Dāwūd, the latter exclaimed, “May Allah set the prince aright—Abū Mukhālid has ruined the people!” Al-Muwaffaq replied, “He has confuted you with that very statement, for in your doctrine it is Allah who ruins the people; how then can Abū Mukhālid ruin them?” Dāwūd was left speechless.

Among their early figures is:

187. The master Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn al-Nuʿmān al-Ahwal **
     An Iraqi and a resolute Shiʿite; the Shiʿa call him Muʾmin al-Tāq. He is counted among the companions of Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad. He authored: The Imamate, A Refutation of the Muʿtazilites, and a book