٣٤ - حَدَّثَنا أَبي رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا سَعْدِ بْنِعَبْدِ اللَّه عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبي الخَطَّاب عَنْ أَحْمَدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبي نَصْرِ البِزَنْطِيِّ قالَ هَوِيتَ فِي نَفْسِي إِذَا دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَاأَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ كَمْ أَتَى عَلَيْكَ مِنَ السِّنِّ فَلَمَّا دَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ وَجَلَسْتُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ جَعَلَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيَّ وَيَتَفَرَّسُ فِي وَجْهِي ثُمَّ قَالَ: كَمْ أَتَى لَكَ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ كَذَا وَكَذَا قَالَ فَأَنَا أَكْبَرُ مِنْكَ قَدْ أَتَى عَلَيَّ اثْنَتَانِ وَأَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَدْ وَاللَّهِ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ هَذَا فَقَالَ قَدْ أَخْبَرْتُكَ.
47-34 (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 Muhammad ibn Al-Husayn ibn Abil Khattab, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr al-Bezanti, “It occurred to me to ask Abil Hassan Ar-Ridha’  about his age when I saw him. When I went to see him and sat in front of him, the Imam  turned to me, looked at me and asked, ‘How old are you?’ I said, ‘May I be your ransom! I am so many years old.’ The Imam  said, ‘I am older than you are. I am forty-two years old.’ I said, ‘May I be your ransom! I wanted to ask you about your age.’ The Imam  said, ‘I told you.’”