Hadith 54-2

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.

(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’ (a.s.). Sometimes he (a.s.) spoke to some of his servants in Slavic and Persian (Farsi) languages. Sometimes I sent my servant who spoke Persian to the Imam (a.s.) and Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) knew Persian. Sometimes it became difficult for the servants to understand Persian. Then the Imam (a.s.) used to explain things for them himself.