Hadith 55-1

حَدَّثَنا أَبي رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ حَدَّثَنا سَعْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّه قالَ حَدَّثَنا أَبُو الخَيْر صالِح بْنِ أَبي حَمَّادٍ عَنْ الحَسَن بْنِ عَلِى الوَشَّاء قالَ كُنْتُ كَتَبْتُ مَعِي مَسَائِلَ كَثِيرَةً قَبْلَ أَنْ أَقْطَعَ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ‏ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَجَمَعْتُهَا فِي كِتَابٍ مِمَّا رُوِيَ عَنْ آبَائِهِ‏ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ وَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَتَثَبَّتَ فِي أَمْرِهِ وَأَخْتَبِرَهُ فَحَمَلْتُ الْكِتَابَ فِي كُمِّي وَصِرْتُ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ وَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ آخُذَ مِنْهُ خَلْوَةً فَأُنَاوِلَهُ الْكِتَابَ فَجَلَسْتُ نَاحِيَةً وَأَنَـا مُتَفَكـِّرٌ فِي طَـلَبِ الإِذْنِ عَلَيْهِ وَبِالْبَابِ جَمَاعَةٌ جُلُوسٌ يَتَحَدَّثُونَ فَبَيْنَا أَنَا كَذَلِكَ فِي الْفِكْرَةِ وَالاحْتِيَالِ فِي الدُّخُولِ عَلَيْهِ إِذَا أَنَا بِغُلامٍ قَدْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الدَّارِ فِي يَدِهِ كِتَابٌ فَنَادَى أَيُّكُمُ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْوَشَّاءُ ابْنُ ابْنَةِ إِلْيَاسَ الْبَغْدَادِيِّ فَقُمْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَقُلْتَ أَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْوَشَّاءُ فَمَا حَاجَتُكَ قَالَ هَذَا الْكِتَابُ أُمِرْتُ بِدَفْعِهِ إِلَيْكَ فَهَاكَ خُذْهُ فَأَخَذْتُهُ وَتَنَحَّيْتُ نَاحِيَةً فَقَرَأْتُهُ فَإِذَا وَاللَّهِ فِيهِ جَوَابُ مَسْأَلَةٍ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ قَطَعْتُ عَلَيْهِ وَتَرَكْتُ الْوَقْفَ.

(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 Abul Khayr Salih ibn Abi Hammad, on the authority of Al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’, “I had written down many questions and I used to have them with me all the time. Before becoming certain about the Divine Leadership of Abil Hassan Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.), I had compiled those questions in the form of a book that contained narrations from his forefathers, etc. I wanted to test him concerning his Divine Leadership. I picked up that book, hid it in my sleeves, and went to his house. I wanted to hand him the book when I was alone with him and ask him what he (a.s.) thought about it in order to find out about the degree of his scientific mastery. Therefore I sat in a corner of the house thinking about seeking permission. There were some people sitting near the door of Ar-Ridha’’s (a.s.) room talking with each other. Then as I was thinking about asking for permission to see him (a.s.), one of the servants came out with a book in his hand and loudly announced, ‘Who is Al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’ - the son of the daughter of Elias from Baghdad?’ I stood up and said, ‘That’s me. What do you want?’ The servant said, ‘I have been told to hand you this book. Take it.’ I took the book, went out and sat in a corner to read it. I swear by God that he had posed all the questions which I had recorded in my book to ask him, and had answered all of them. Then I became certain that he was the Divine Leader and stopped being one of the Waqafites.”