In those days of the 7th Imam (as) having the audience of the Imam (a.s) of the Time was a very difficult task. People had to face grave danger to their lives and visit him during dark nights. For the interest of the readers the incident of Ali bin Yaqteen taking out the Khums during the Imamate of the Seventh Imam, Imam Moosi Kazim (a.s), is narrated here.
Ali bin Yaqteen was the prime minister of Haroon. He was a Shi-ite but wasn’t able to freely call on the Imam (a.s) because of the animosity that Haroon had against the Ahl al Bayt (a.s).
Once Haroon presented a very expensive garment to Ibne Yaqteen in appreciation of some service that he had rendered to him. Around that time the payment of Khums became due. Taking out Khums and sending it to the right quarters was fraught with grave danger those days. The establishment considered it their right to appropriate the Khums those days. If it wasn’t sent to the ruler, it was deemed that the person wasn’t accepting the suzerainty of the ruler. If the acts of such persons were exposed, they were executed as traitors. In such circumstances people used to take out the Khums and secretly send to the Imam (a.s) in Madina. When the time for taking out the Khums was at hand, Ali bin Yaqteen too sent the due amount along with the expensive garment, that Haroon presented to him, to the Imam (a.s).
The Imam (a.s) accepted all other things but returned the garment to Ali Ibne Yaqteen asking him to keep it with him. Ali was wondering why the Imam (a.s) didn’t accept the garment as a part of the Khums.
It happened that once Ali bin Yaqteen was angry on one of his slaves and he punished him. The slave went to the court of Haroon and complained that his prime minister was sending his Khums to Madina. He said that the garment that Haroon gifted to him was sent to the Imam (a.s) as a part of the Khums. Several persons inimical to Ali ibne Yaqteen too had whispered to Haroon that he was a Shi-ite.
Haroon urgently called for Ali bin Yaqteen and asked him about the garment presented to him. He now understood why the Imam (a.s) sent back the garment to him. He sent another slave post-haste to his residence to fetch the garment. Ali bin Yaqteen had perfumed the garment while he was sending it to the Imam (a.s). The garment still retained the fragrance. Ali told to Haroon that he had perfumed the garment and kept it safe at home that it was a gift from his ruler! Haroon smelled the garment and angrily ordered execution of the slave