حدثنا أبو الحسن علي بن عبد الله بن أحمد بن بابويه المذكر، قال: سمعت القاضي الكبير أبا الحسن علي بن أحمد الطبري يقول: حدثني أبو سعيد الحسن بن علي بن زكريا ابن زفر العدوي البصري ، قال: مررت بالبصرة بمحل " طحان " وهي ناحية و إذا زحام على باب، وناس يدخلون دار، وناس يخرجون، فدخلت فإذا شيخ يقول: حدثني مولاي أنس بن مالك. - وهو " خراش " مولى " أنس " - قال أبو سعيد: ولم يكن معي ورق فاستعرت قلما وكتبت هذه الأربعة عشر حدثنا على ظهر نعلي:
We were told by Abu’l-Hasan, Ali bin Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Babawayh al-Mudhakkir, that he said: I heard the big judge, Abu’l-Hasan, Ali bin Ahmad al-Tabari, say: I was told by Abu Sa’eed, Hasan bin Ali bin Zakariya ibn Zafr al-‘Adawi al-Basri, that he said: I passed in Basra by the area of Tahhan, and it was a district, and suddenly I observed crowds by a door, and people entering a house, and other people leaving. I then entered, and suddenly I observed an old man say: I was told by my master, Anas bin Malik – and that was Khirash, the servant of Anas – that he said… Abu Sa’eed said: There were no paper with me, so I borrowed a pen and wrote these fourteen narrations on the external side of my sandal: