‘Amrū b. Wāqid, said: [Al-Sindi b. Shāhik summoned me at the night. I was in Baghdad. I feared that he would do evil for me, so I asked my family (to prepare) my needs. I said: ‘We belong to Allah and to Him is our return.’ Then I rode to him. When he saw me, he said:]
“O Abū` Hafs, have we terrified and annoyed you?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“There is nothing here except good,” he explained.
“Will you send a messenger to my family to tell them
about me?” I asked.
“Yes,” was the answer.
When my fear became calm and terror went away from me, al-Sindi asked me: “O Abū` Hafs, do you know why I summoned you?”
“No,” I answered.
“Do you recognize Mūsā b. Ja‘far?” he asked.
“Yes, by Allah, I recognize him,” I replied, “and there was a friendship between us for a long time.”
“Do you think that there is in Baghdad anyone who recognizes him?” he asked. “Yes,” was the answer.
Then he (Abū Hafs) nominated for him persons from among those who recognized the Imām. Al-Sindi b. Shāhik summoned them and asked them: “Do you know people who recognize Mūsā b. Ja‘far?” They nominated some people for him and he summoned them. He went on summoning people throughout the night until day dawned.
When over fifty witnesses were present before him, he summoned his notary and ordered him to write their names, their houses, their works, and their characteristics. When the notary had finished writing that, he told al-Sindi about it. The latter went out of his place, turned to ‘Amrū and said to him: “Abū` Hafs, stand up and remove the shroud from the face of Mūsā b. Ja‘far.” ‘Amrū removed the shroud from the face of the Imām. Then al-Sindi b. Shāhik turned to the people and said to them: “Look at him!” The people began to come and look into his face. Then he (i.e. al-Sindi b. Shāhik) asked them: “Do you witness that this is Mūsā b. Ja‘far?”
“Yes,” they replied.
Then he ordered his boy to remove the shrouds from the Imām, and he did. Then he turned to the people and asked them: “Do you see on him any mark which you regard as abominable?”
“No,” they answered.
Then he ordered their testimonies to be written, and they went away.[1] Then he brought the jurists and notable men of Baghdad in (to see him). Among them was al-Haytham b. ‘Adi. (Al-Sindi) made them give testimony that he had died normally. Hārūn al-Rashid took measures similar to these, that he might clear himself of committing the crime or, at least, he was not responsible for it.