The judge Abū al-Qāsim informed us; Abū ʿAlī narrated to us; ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us; al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to me, saying that ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muṣʿab al-Zubayrī said to al-Mahdī:

(al-Kāmil metre)
I have tied the reins of my rope with an unbreakable knot,
the cords of your affection being my chosen bond.
From you I have secured a covenant, safely guarded—
whoever gains its like from you will never be forsaken.
I see you ennobling men, and I am in no way
behind the one you have promoted to the fore.
So will you take me under your patronage as a shield for yourself?
By Allah’s pledge upon me, I shall never be ungrateful.