Zuhri says: Abdul Malik Marwan ordered the governor of
Medina to place Imam Sajjad (a.s.) under arrest and dispatch him to
Shaam. He did that. When it was time for departure, I sought
permission from his guards and went to bid farewell to His
Eminence and found him in chains. I said, weeping: “I wish I was
chained in your stead and that you should have been free.” His
Eminence said: “Zuhri, do you think that these chains are causing
distress to me? If I want, they can be removed and not remain on me
(my hand and feet).” Suddenly he removed his hands and feet from
the chains and said: “I will remain with them upto two stages of the
journey from Medina and not more.”
Zuhri says: “Four days after the departure of Imam Sajjad (a.s.),
the guards returned to Medina and no matter how much they
searched, they could not find His Eminence.” One of them explained
to me: “We were guarding His Eminence continuously and did not
even sleep. One morning, we did not see anything in the litter of His
Eminence, except only the chains.”
Zuhri says: After some time I went to meet Abdul Malik. He
inquired about Imam Sajjad (a.s.) and I informed him about the
incident. He said: At that time when the guards missed him, Imam
Sajjad (a.s.) came to me and chastened me saying: What have you
got to do with me? Why are you confronting me? I was terrified and
I said: “I wished to have you besides me.” He said: “I don’t like [to
remain with you].” Then he went away.
Madinatul Maajiz, p. 309
Isbaatul Wilayah (Part One) – Ayatullah AliNamazi Shahroodi (r.a.)