One day I went with my son Hamed who was four years old to see the Imam. The Imam was seated in a room and a big gunny bag that was half-filled with paper and letters was placed at his side. The Imam would take out the letters one by one and read them. He put those that needed to be answered under the blanket so that later he would answer them while he kept keep aside the rest. We greeted him and sat down. The Imam began to talk with Hamid. For example he asked him the name of his father or whether he knew my name. After a moment, Hamid started to play with the Imam. I asked for his permission to leave so that my child did not inconvenience him. The Imam said: Leave the child alone; if you have some work to do then you may leave.” I did so. After about half an hour, I thought perhaps the child was inconveniencing the Imam and returned to take him away. I saw that he had placed his head on the knees of the Imam and his feet rested against the wall while he was talking with the Imam and was telling him to arrange the papers properly and keep them clean and so forth... while the Imam was smiling and enjoying every moment. I asked Hamed to come with me but he refused. I told the Imam: “Will you permit me to take him away.” The Imam replied: “No, the child is not inconveniencing me; you can go.”
Leave the child alone: ‘Ali Thaqafi