The birth of abu al-Hassan al-Rida  عليه السلام — report 1

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from Hisham ibn Ahmar who has said the following. “Once abu al-Hassan, the second asked me, “Do you know if anyone from Morocco (or the west) has arrived?” I replied, “No, no one has come.” He said, “Yes, a man has come. Come with us.” He rode and also rode and went until we reached the man. He was a man from Madina who had a few slaves with him for sale. I asked him to show the slaves for sale and he showed me seven slave-girls. Abu al-Hassan عليه السلام said, “I do not need any of these.” Then he asked, “Show us more.” The man said, “There is no more except one who is ill.” The Imam عليه السلام said, “Why do you not show her to us?” The man refused and the Imam عليه السلام returned. The next day he sent me and said to ask him for how much is the girl who is ill and if he said for so and so amount say, “I pay.” I went to him and he said, “I will not accept less than so and so amount for her.” I said, “I take her.” He said, “She is yours but tell me who was the man with you yesterday?” I said, “A man from the clan of banu Hashim.” He asked from which family is he?” I said, “That is all I have.” He said, “I like to tell you about this girl. I bought her in the far corner of the west (or Morocco). A woman from the followers of the Bible came and said, “What is she doing with you?” I said, “I have purchased her for my self.” She said, “This girl should not be with one like you. This girl should be with the best of the people on earth. With such a one she will not live very long before giving birth to a boy whose like will not be born in the west or east of the earth.” The narrator has said, “I brought her to the Imam عليه السلام and shortly afterwards she became the mother of Imam al-Rida عليه السلام .”