He said: Yaʿqūb and Ghiyāth kept coming to him, saying, “The Commander of the Faithful asks: What is your opinion of Ibn Abī Duʾād and of his property?” He would give no reply.

Yaʿqūb and Yaḥyā would also inform him of every new development in Ibn Duʾād’s case.

After arranging for witnesses to the sale of his landed estates, he sent word to Baghdad.

At times Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān would arrive while Abū ʿAbd Allāh was praying; he would sit in the vestibule until the prayer was finished.

Al-Mutawakkil ordered that a house be purchased for us. Abū ʿAbd Allāh said, “O Ṣāliḥ.” I answered, “At your service.” He said, “If you approve their buying me a house, the bond between me and you will be cut; they only want to make this town a place of confinement for me.”

He kept parrying the matter of the house until it fell through.

Meanwhile the Caliph’s messengers came repeatedly, inquiring about his condition and then returning to say, “He is weak.”

During all this they would insist, “O Abū ʿAbd Allāh, he must see you.”

Yaʿqūb came and said, “The Commander of the Faithful longs to meet you and says: Choose any day on which you will come so that I may inform him.”

He replied, “That is for you to decide.” Yaʿqūb said, “Wednesday,” and left.

The next day he returned and said, “Good news, O Abū ʿAbd Allāh! The Commander of the Faithful conveys his greetings and says: I have excused you from wearing black, from riding out to the provincial governors, and from coming to the palace; wear whatever you like (1).”

Abū ʿAbd Allāh began praising Allah for that.

Yaʿqūb then said, “I have a son of whom I am very fond, and he holds a special place in my heart. I would like you to narrate some hadiths to him.”

He remained silent, and when Yaʿqūb left he said, “Does he not see the state I am in?!”

He used to complete the Qurʾān once a week, from one Friday to the next; whenever he finished, he would supplicate, and we