Haroon and Imam Reza (AS)

At the beginning of Imam Reza’s Imamat, he did not publicly declare his Imamat due to the extensive amount of pressure dominating the society following Imam Kazim’s imprisonment and martyrdom by Haroon. It was highly possible that Haroon would have been a threat for Imam Reza, so the Imam only revealed his Imamat to his family, as well as to his father’s loyal companions and representatives.
Haroon did not regard the Imam as an immediate threat for his government. However, he was frequently advised by those close to him, particularly his minister, Yahya ibn Khalid Barmaki, to take action against Imam Reza who was being followed by the Shias as the Imam after Imam Kazim but Haroon rejected their wishes to act against the Imam. Haroon would respond, “We have killed his father. Should I kill them all (to satisfy you)?” Haroon was aware that Muslims, especially the Shias, held him responsible for the martyrdom of Imam Kazim. He did not want to put his government in further trouble by aggravating the long-standing hostilities between the Prophet’s descendants and the Abbasids.
Haroon had appointed spies in Medina to closely monitor all aspects of Imam Reza’s activities. Once, Haroon received a report from one of his spies that the Imam had gone to the market and purchased some domestic animals. Later, someone came to Haroon and claimed the Imam had opened his house to the people and had been calling them to his Imamat. Haroon surprisingly responded that the spy earlier had given a contrary report to what he just reported, and thus Haroon did not pay attention to this obvious conspiracy against the Imam.
Due to the frequent ill-talks against the Imam, Haroon once decided to kill him. He sent someone to bring the Imam into his presence. When the Imam saw Haroon, he quietly recited a supplication which had been passed down to him from the Prophet. When Haroon looked at the Imam, his decision suddenly changed. He told the Imam that he had ordered a large reward to be paid to him, and told the Imam to write down his family’s needs. When the Imam returned, Haroon consoled himself by saying that he had wanted something and God had wanted something else, and whatever God wants is better.
After a period estimated by some to be around four years, Imam Reza publicly announced his Imamat to the people. He was frequently warned by his close companions that the declaration of his Imamat might trigger Haroon to persecute him. The Imam dismissed their warnings and promised them that Haroon could not harm him, similar to how the Prophet had made a prophecy that Abu-Jahl, one of his prominent opponents in Mecca, would not be able to harm him. The Imam assured them that they could consider this prophecy a sign of his Imamat.
The Imam’s declaration of his Imamat coincided with the time that Haroon decided to remove the powerful Barmaki family from his government. Haroon was afraid that the increasing power of the Barmaki family in his government could endanger