1. Ḥasan b. Zayd b. Isma'íl (called Jálibu`l-ḥijára, “the Stone-lifter”, because of his strength) b. al-Ḥasan b. Zayd b. al-Ḥasan b. 'Alí b. Abí Ṭálib. He was born and grew up at al-Madína, and was peerless in his time for courage, cunning and determination, as is strongly emphasized by [Ibn] Ṭabáṭabá al-'Alawí in his book called Ansábu Ashráfi`l-Amṣár (“Pedi­grees of the Nobles of the Lands”). The cause of his insurrection and occupation of Ṭabaristán (f. 45a) will be mentioned in due course. One day when he had been bled Abu`l-'Amr the poet of Ṭabaristán (<Arabic>) came before him and recited this verse:

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For those two couplets the poet received ten thousend dírhams*.

2. Muḥammad b. Zayd ad-Dá'í ila `l-Ḥaqq, brother of the above. Volumes might be filled with his praises. Sayyid Imám-i-Mufíd Abú Ṭálib relates that he had a learned secretary called Abu`l-Qásim al-Kátib al-Balkhí, noted for his eloquence and excellence, who used to say that this Prince so far excelled all others for whom he had acted as secretary that, to use his own expression, “I could have imagined that it was Muḥammad the Prophet of God dictating one of his revelations.” 'Abdu`l-'Azíz al-'Ijlí*) composed in his honour a qaṣída in which occurs the following verse:

¹ Dhahír, p. 282.

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and received a gift of 30,000 dirhams. When Bakr b. 'Abdu`l-'Azíz al-'Ijlí, one of the great captains of that time, came before him at ´Amul, he alighted from his horse to do him honour, and Muḥammad b. Zayd presented him with a million dirhams contained in a hundred bags, besides weapons and other presents. Every year he used to send a thousand* gold dínárs to the shrines of 'Alí, al-Ḥasan, al-Ḥusayn, and other illustrious members of his family; and when the Caliph al-Mutawakkil (A. D. 847—861) destroyed the tombs of the Imáms, he was the first who repaired them.