The ruling government of that time feared the school of Imam (as) and its horrible expansion and the large number of followers who were carrying the knowledge of the Imam (as) and speaking about the school’s merits and excellences and also about what Allah (SwT) granted the Imam (as) such as great morality, extreme knowledge and high patience.
This could not let the tyrant, Mansour, to sleep tight. He feared about his political affairs and that people might be, according to what he said, attracted with his attributes. Therefore, he asked Abu Hanifah to prepare the most complicated and ambiguous problems. Let us read the rest of the story in Abu Hanifah’s words: “I have never seen one more knowledgeable in jurisprudence than Jafar ibn Muhammad (as). When al-Mansour asked him to come, al-Mansour called me and said: ‘Abu Hanifah! The people here were amazed with Jafar ibn Muhammad, so prepare the most difficult problems you can.’
Then I prepared forty problems. Afterwards Abu Jafar summoned me while he was in al- Hirah. I went there and entered. Jafar ibn Muhammad was sitting on his right. As soon as I saw him, I feared the dignity of Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, something that was never happened even with Abu Jafar al-Mansour. I greeted him and he pointed to me to have seat.
Then he turned to him and said: ‘Abu Abdullah! This is Abu Hanifah.’ Jafar Said: Yes! Then al-Mansour turned to me and said: ‘Abu Hanifah! Forward your questions to Abu Abdullah.’ So, I began asking and he was replying saying: You say this and the people of Medina say that and we are saying this. Sometimes he agreed one of them and sometimes he rejected them all. This process continued till the last question, the fortieth one. He did not fail in any one of those problems.”
This story demonstrates the spiteful nature of Mansour and his dread from the successor of the prophet (S), as well as demonstrating the glorification of Abu Hanifah towards the Imam (as) and the fact that he feared the dignity of Imam (as) more than Mansour who borrowed his pseudo-dignity from the government and kingdom, while the Imam (as) took his dignity from Almighty Allah. So he is the best creature after his pure fathers.
THE LIFE OF IMAM JAF’AR AL-SADIQ (AS) – BAQIR SHARIF AL-QURASHI