On Ar-Ridha’’s Insight and His Recognition of the Faithful Believers and the Hypocrites

حَدَّثَنا أَبي رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ حَدَّثَنا سَعْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّه قالَ حَدَّثَنا عَبْدِ اللَّه بْنِ عامِر بْنِ سَعْد عَنْ عَبْد الرَّحْمن بْنِ أَبي نَجْرانَ قالَ كَتَبَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَأَقْرَأَنِيهِ رِسَالَةً إِلَى بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ إِنَّا لَنَعْرِفُ الرَّجُلَ إِذَا رَأَيْنَاهُ بِحَقِيقَةِ الإِيمَانِ وَبِحَقِيقَةِ النِّفَاقِ.

(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 Abdullah ibn Aamir ibn Sa’d, on the authority of Abdul Rahman ibn Abi Najran, “Abul Hassan Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) wrote a letter to some of his companions which he read to me. It said, ‘We know (all about) men when we see them. We recognize their true faithfulness or hypocrisy.’”