It laments the caliph’s death while he was in consecration,
yet it rejoices that this kinder ruler now stands in his place.
Never have I seen—nor shall I ever see—
a head of hair I groom while another tuft is plucked away.
The caliph has perished—alas, O community of Aḥmad!—
but after him one has come to succeed.
Allah has bestowed on this man the favor of the caliphate,
and for that one the Gardens of Bliss are adorned. (1)

Al-Mahdī once said in a sermon:

“O people! Keep your obedience to us in private just as you proclaim it in public; in so doing you will enjoy well-being and praise the end result. Lower the wing of submission before the one who spreads his justice among you, folds away the cloak of hardship from you, and pours safety and ease of living upon you as Allah has shown him—preferring this to the conduct of those who preceded him. By Allah, I shall spend my lifetime punishing you for wrongdoing, and I shall compel myself to show kindness to you.”

He (the narrator) said: The people’s faces brightened at the beauty of his words. Then he brought out his father’s hoards of gold and silver—so plentiful they could neither be counted nor described—and distributed them among the populace. He gave none of it to his own household or clients; instead, he fixed for them stipends from the public treasury, each receiving 500 a month apart from discretionary grants. His father had been intent on swelling the treasury, spending no more than 2,000 dirhams a year from the elite’s wealth.

Al-Mahdī ordered the construction of the Rusāfa Mosque, and a trench and wall were dug around it. He also built cities that we have mentioned earlier.

Someone told him that the judge Shurayk ibn ʿAbd Allah refused to pray behind him. He summoned Shurayk, spoke with him, and in the course of conversation said, “Son of an adulteress!” Shurayk answered, “Easy, easy, Commander of the Believers; she was a woman given to fasting and night prayer.” Al-Mahdī retorted, “You heretic, I shall kill you.” Shurayk laughed and said, “Commander of the Believers, heretics are known by certain signs: drinking intoxicating brews and keeping singing girls.” Al-Mahdī lowered his head, and Shurayk took his leave.

They relate that a fierce wind arose during Al-Mahdī’s reign. He entered a room in his residence, pressed his cheek to the ground, and prayed: “O Allah, if it is I alone who am sought by this punishment, here I am before You. O Allah, do not let the enemies from among the adherents of other religions gloat over me.” He remained thus until the storm passed.

One day a man came to him carrying a sandal and said, “This is a sandal of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; I have brought it as a gift for you.” Al-Mahdī said, “Give it here.” The man handed it over; he kissed it, placed it upon his eyes, and ordered that 10,000 dirhams be given to the man. When the visitor had gone, Al-Mahdī remarked, “By Allah, I know the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never even saw this sandal, let alone wore it. But had I turned the man away, he would have gone about saying, ‘I presented a sandal of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to him and he rejected it,’ and the people would have believed him, for common folk incline toward such tales and make it their habit to champion the weak against the strong, even when the strong is in the right. So we purchased his silence for 10,000 dirhams, deeming that sounder and more beneficial.”