When al-Ridha was summoned to Khurasan and reluctantly accepted the role of successor to al-Ma'mun, al-Ma'mun summoned the Imam's brother, Zayd, who had revolted and brought about a riot in Medina to his court in Khorasan.
Al-Ma'mun kept him free as an honor to Ali al-Ridha and overlooked his punishment.

One day, however, when Ali al-Ridha was delivering a speech in a grand assembly, he heard Zayd praising himself before the people, saying I am so and so.
Ali al-Ridha asked him saying:
O Zayd, have you trusted upon the words of the grocers of Kufa and are conveying them to the people?
What kind of things are you talking about?
The sons of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah Zahra are worthy and outstanding only when they obey the command of Allah, and keep themselves away from sin and blunder.
You think you are like Musa al-Kadhim, Ali ibn Husayn, and other Imams?
Whereas, they took pains and bore hardships on the way to Allah and prayed to Allah day and night.
Do you think you will gain without pain?
Be aware, that if a person out of us the Ahl al-Bayt performs a good deed, he gets twice the reward.
Because not only he performed good deeds like others but also that he has maintained the honor of Muhammad.
If he practices something bad and does a sin, he has performed two sins.
One is that he performed a bad act like the rest of the people and the other one is that he has negated the honor of Muhammad.
O brother!
The one who obeys Allah is from us the Ahl al-Bayt and the one who is a sinner is not ours.
Allah said about the son of Noah who cut the spiritual bondage with his father, "He is not out of your lineage; if he was out of your lineage, I would have (saved) and granted him salvation."
When al-Ridha was summoned to Khurasan and reluctantly accepted the role of successor to al-Ma'mun, al-Ma'mun summoned the Imam's brother, Zayd, who had revolted and brought about a riot in Medina to his court in Khorasan. Al-Ma'mun kept him free as an honor to Ali al-Ridha and overlooked his punishment.
One day, however, when Ali al-Ridha was delivering a speech in a grand assembly, he heard Zayd praising himself before the people, saying I am so and so. Ali al-Ridha asked him saying:
O Zayd, have you trusted upon the words of the grocers of Kufa and are conveying them to the people? What kind of things are you talking about? The sons of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah Zahra are worthy and outstanding only when they obey the command of Allah, and keep themselves away from sin and blunder. You think you are like Musa al-Kadhim, Ali ibn Husayn, and other Imams? Whereas, they took pains and bore hardships on the way to Allah and prayed to Allah day and night. Do you think you will gain without pain? Be aware, that if a person out of us the Ahl al-Bayt performs a good deed, he gets twice the reward. Because not only he performed good deeds like others but also that he has maintained the honor of Muhammad. If he practices something bad and does a sin, he has performed two sins. One is that he performed a bad act like the rest of the people and the other one is that he has negated the honor of Muhammad. O brother! The one who obeys Allah is from us the Ahl al-Bayt and the one who is a sinner is not ours. Allah said about the son of Noah who cut the spiritual bondage with his father, "He is not out of your lineage; if he was out of your lineage, I would have (saved) and granted him salvation."
Ali al-Ridha