On Ar-Ridha’s Knowledge of All the Languages
ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā|Volume 2|Book 1|Chapter 24
2 - حَدَّثَنا أَبي رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ حَدَّثَنا سَعْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّه قالَ حَدَّثَنا أَحْمَدِ بْنِ أَبي عَبْدِ اللَّه البَرْقِيحَدَّثَنا أَبُو هاشِم داوُدِ بْنِ القاسِم الجَعْفَرِيِّ قالَ كُنْتُ أَتَغَدَّى مَعَ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ فَيَدْعُو بَعْضَ غِلْمَانِهِ بِالصَّقْلَبِيَّةِ وَالْفَارِسِيَّةِ وَرُبَّمَا بَعَثْتُ غُلامِي هَذَا بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْفَارِسِيَّةِ فَيُعَلِّمُهُ وَرُبَّمَا كَانَ يَنْغَلِقُ الْكَلامُ عَلَى غُلامِهِ بِالْفَارِسِيَّةِ فَيَفْتَحُ هُوَ عَلَى غُلامِهِ.
54-2 (The author of the book narrated) my father - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Sa’d ibn Abdullah quoted on the authority of Ahmad ibn Abi Abdullah al-Barqi, on the authority of Abu Hashem Dawood ibn Al-Qasim al-Ja’fari, “I used to eat lunch with Abal Hassan Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام. Sometimes he عليه السلام spoke to some of his servants in Slavic and Persian (Farsi) languages. Sometimes I sent my servant who spoke Persian to the Imam عليه السلام and Ar-Ridha’ عليه السلام knew Persian. Sometimes it became difficult for the servants to understand Persian. Then the Imam عليه السلام used to explain things for them himself.