It was a wet and humid night. Taking advantage of the dark and the deserted roads, Imam Al-Sadiq (‘a) left his house, without informing his relatives, and proceeded towards the shelter of Banu Sa’dah. By chance, Mua’la ibn Khanis, one of his close companions who was in charge of the Imam’s (‘a) family affairs, saw the Imam (‘a) leaving.

In order not to leave the Imam (‘a) alone in the dark, he thought to follow him quietly. Staying a few steps distance behind him, he followed the Imam (‘a) closely enough that he could see his figure in the dark.

The dream he had, plunged him deep into fear. Every moment, terrifying interpretations appeared in his mind. Worried, he came to see Imam Al-Sadiq (‘a) and said, “Last night I had a dream. It seemed to be a wooden ghost, or perhaps a wooden man mounted on a wooden horse, holding a sword in his hand and waving it in the air. This terrible dream made me extremely frightened, and I would like you to interpret the meaning of my dream.”

In the days of the Caliphate of his brother, Ali (‘a), Aqil arrived as a guest at his house in Kufah. Ali (‘a) signaled to his eldest son, Hasan ibn Ali (‘a), to present some garments to his uncle. Imam Hasan (‘a) offered a robe and a cloak to his uncle from his own personal property. Night fell and the weather was warm. Ali (‘a) and Aqil sat on the roof of the Government House and were busy talking until it was time for dinner.

Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr Bizanti, who was counted among the scholars and the learned of his time, came to believe in the Imamat (leadership) of Imam Al-Ridha’ (‘a), after exchanging numerous correspondences with him (‘a). One day he asked the Imam (‘a), “I wish to come to your house and benefit from your presence. Would there be any problem with my coming and going from the point of view of government?”

Although Hisham ibn Abdul Malik held the position of Crown Prince at the time (the first decade of the second century of Hijrah), when the Umayyad government had reached the zenith of its power, after the ritual circumambulation of the Ka’bah, he tried his best to reach the Black Stone and touch it. The other pilgrims were all dressed in their plain garments, all uttering the same supplications to Allah, and performing the Hajj rituals.

Imam Al-Sadiq (‘a), accompanied by some friends, visited one of his relatives to offer him their condolences. On the way, his shoelace was torn in such a manner that his shoe was no longer held to his foot. The Imam (‘a) took off his shoes, held them in his hand and began to walk barefoot.

Abdullah ibn Abi Ya’fur, one of his close companions quickly took off his own shoes, untied the laces and offered it to the Imam (‘a) so that he could use them while he walked barefoot.

In the dark of night, from a great distance, they heard a voice of a young man screaming. He was pleading for help. His weak and scrawny camel had remained behind the caravan and lagged far behind. Finally, completely exhausted, he stretched out and slept. He tried to move his camel again, but it was in vain. Standing helplessly beside the camel, he called for help.

The Holy Prophet (S) usually travelled at the back of the caravan, so that anyone who was weak or helpless and became separated from the caravan, would not remain alone.

The family of Imam Al-Sadiq (‘a) was steadily growing, as were their expenses. The Imam (‘a) decided to invest some capital in order to increase his income and thus meet his family’s expenses. He gathered an amount of one thousand Dinars and told his servant Mussadif to take the money and prepare for a journey to Egypt in order to do business there.

One night, the Holy Prophet (S) stayed at Umm Salamah’s home. It was midnight. Umm Salamah woke up and noticed that the Holy Prophet (S) was not in his bed. She was worried about what had happened to him. Her instinctive jealousy made her investigate. She got up and began to search for the Prophet (S).

Samarah ibn Jandab owned a date palm tree in one of the Ansar’s gardens (Ansar: helpers of the Prophet). The Ansar’s dwelling was located in the garden where his wife and children were living. Samarah frequently visited the Ansar’s garden in order to inspect his date palm or to pick the dates. It was obvious that, according to Islamic law, he had the ‘right’ to visit the garden to look after his palm tree. However, whenever he wanted to enter the garden, he did so without prior notice, while prying on the owner and his family.