Ibn Abi al-Dunya preserves a report that al-Hajjaj imprisoned Muwarriq al-Ijli and that efforts to obtain his release had not succeeded. Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir, may Allah have mercy on him, then called those present to supplicate to Allah; Mutarrif prayed while the others said amin. The report says that the same evening Muwarriq’s father entered al-Hajjaj’s gathering, and al-Hajjaj ordered a guard to go with him to the prison and hand his son over to him. Al-Lalaka'i and Abu Nu'aym also preserve later forms of the same episode.
Ibn Abi al-Dunya preserves a report about Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Shikhkhir, may Allah have mercy on him, and the imprisonment of Muwarriq al-Ijli. According to the account, al-Hajjaj had placed Muwarriq in prison. People concerned for him tried to secure his release, but their efforts did not succeed.
When those attempts had failed, Mutarrif turned the gathering toward supplication. He invited those with him to call upon Allah. The report says that Mutarrif prayed and the people around him answered with amin. The exact words of his supplication are not preserved in the checked account, so the story is best left without adding a prayer formula that the source itself does not give.
The narration then moves directly to the same evening. Muwarriq’s father entered the gathering of al-Hajjaj. The report says that al-Hajjaj then ordered a guard to accompany the father to the prison and to hand Muwarriq over to him. Thus the collective supplication and the release order appear one after the other within the same evening.
Abu Nu'aym preserves a fuller form of the event and adds a memorable detail: in that version, it is said that no one had spoken to al-Hajjaj on Muwarriq’s behalf before the order of release. This detail sharpens the suddenness of the outcome, but the main sequence remains the same—imprisonment, failed efforts, supplication, and release.
Al-Lalaka'i also transmits the central account, and Ibn Asakir later preserves material from the same story in his biography of Mutarrif. These classical works keep the focus on Mutarrif’s prayer and the release that followed that evening rather than on a long explanation of how the decision was changed.
For a public retelling, the most faithful form is therefore simple. Muwarriq was imprisoned, ordinary efforts did not free him, Mutarrif prayed with those around him saying amin, and that same evening an order came for Muwarriq to be handed back to his father. That sequence is the heart of the karamah report preserved in the classical sources.
When those attempts had failed, Mutarrif turned the gathering toward supplication. He invited those with him to call upon Allah. The report says that Mutarrif prayed and the people around him answered with amin. The exact words of his supplication are not preserved in the checked account, so the story is best left without adding a prayer formula that the source itself does not give.
The narration then moves directly to the same evening. Muwarriq’s father entered the gathering of al-Hajjaj. The report says that al-Hajjaj then ordered a guard to accompany the father to the prison and to hand Muwarriq over to him. Thus the collective supplication and the release order appear one after the other within the same evening.
Abu Nu'aym preserves a fuller form of the event and adds a memorable detail: in that version, it is said that no one had spoken to al-Hajjaj on Muwarriq’s behalf before the order of release. This detail sharpens the suddenness of the outcome, but the main sequence remains the same—imprisonment, failed efforts, supplication, and release.
Al-Lalaka'i also transmits the central account, and Ibn Asakir later preserves material from the same story in his biography of Mutarrif. These classical works keep the focus on Mutarrif’s prayer and the release that followed that evening rather than on a long explanation of how the decision was changed.
For a public retelling, the most faithful form is therefore simple. Muwarriq was imprisoned, ordinary efforts did not free him, Mutarrif prayed with those around him saying amin, and that same evening an order came for Muwarriq to be handed back to his father. That sequence is the heart of the karamah report preserved in the classical sources.
Conclusion
The account ends with Muwarriq al-Ijli being released to his father on the same evening in which Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah led the group in supplication.
Sources
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Mujabu al-Da'wa, report 75 in HadithPortal numbering
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Mujabu al-Da'wa: تعال ندع الله ... فدعا مطرف وأمنا
al-Lalaka'i, Sharh Usul I'tiqad Ahl al-Sunna, Karamat al-Awliya, report 174
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Mujabu al-Da'wa, report 75
Abu Nu'aym, Hilyat al-Awliya, Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah, wonders from his karamat
Abu Nu'aym, Hilyat al-Awliya: من غير أن يكلمه فيه أحد من الناس
al-Lalaka'i route: Sulayman ibn Harb -> Hammad ibn Zayd -> Ghaylan ibn Jarir
Abu Nu'aym route: Khalid ibn Khidash -> Hammad ibn Zayd -> Ghaylan ibn Jarir
Ibn Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq, biography of Mutarrif ibn Abd Allah; preserves Ibn Abi al-Dunya and Abu Nu'aym routes side by side