Bakr ibn ʿAbd Allah ibn Ḥabīb narrated to us; he said:
“I heard al-Misʿarī, Muḥammad ibn Wahb, say:
‘I was al-Mutawakkil’s tutor. When he succeeded to the caliphate he drew me close, and he would question me and I would answer him according to the principles of ḥadith and sound learning.
One day he held a session for his private circle, then rose and entered a pavilion made entirely of crystal—roof, walls, and floor alike. Water was coursing through it, swirling all around, so that anyone who entered felt as though he were seated in the very heart of the water.
Seated to his right were al-Faṭḥ ibn Khāqān and ʿUbayd Allah ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān; to his left, Bugha the Elder and Waṣīf. I was standing when he burst out laughing, and the company fell silent. He said,
‘Will you not ask me what made me laugh? I remember a day when I was standing at al-Wāthiq’s head while he held a private audience. He withdrew into this very place, and I tried to follow but was refused entry, so I remained standing where that servant is now. With him were Ibn Abī Duʿād, Ibn al-Zayyāt, and Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm.
‘Al-Wāthiq said, “I have been reflecting on the doctrine to which I summoned the people—that the Qur’an is created—the speed with which those who agreed with me responded, and the fierce resistance of those who opposed me despite whip and sword. I have found that those who sided with us were after what we possess, whereas those who opposed us were restrained by their religion and piety. A doubt has entered my heart because of this, to the point that I have considered abandoning the matter.”
‘Ibn Abī Duʿād exclaimed, “For Allah’s sake, O Commander of the Faithful! Will you extinguish a sunnah you have revived and overturn a creed you have established?” They then fell silent, and Ibn Abī Duʿād grew anxious and added, “By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, the very doctrine you are calling people to is the religion Allah approved for His prophets and messengers and with which He sent His Prophet, but the people have blinded themselves to it.”
‘Al-Wāthiq replied, “Then confront me with mutual imprecation (1) over it.”
‘Ahmad said, “May Allah strike me with paralysis if what he says is not true.”
‘Ibn al-Zayyāt said likewise: “May Allah fasten my body with nails in this world before the Hereafter if the Commander of the Faithful’s statement—that the Qur’an is created—is not true.”
‘Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm also said, “Likewise, may Allah make his odor repugnant in this world if…”’