مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ الْفِيلُ مَسْخٌ كَانَ مَلِكاً زَنَّاءً وَ الذِّئْبُ مَسْخٌ كَانَ أَعْرَابِيّاً دَيُّوثاً وَ الْأَرْنَبُ مَسْخٌ كَانَتِ امْرَأَةً تَخُونُ زَوْجَهَا وَ لَا تَغْتَسِلُ مِنْ حَيْضِهَا وَ الْوَطْوَاطُ مَسْخٌ كَانَ يَسْرِقُ تُمُورَ النَّاسِ وَ الْقِرَدَةُ وَ الْخَنَازِيرُ قَوْمٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اعْتَدَوْا فِي السَّبْتِ وَ الْجِرِّيثُ وَ الضَّبُّ فِرْقَةٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا حَيْثُ نَزَلَتِ الْمَائِدَةُ عَلَى عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ( عليه السلام ) فَتَاهُوا فَوَقَعَتْ فِرْقَةٌ فِي الْبَحْرِ وَ فِرْقَةٌ فِي الْبَرِّ وَ الْفَأْرَةُ فَهِيَ الْفُوَيْسِقَةُ وَ الْعَقْرَبُ كَانَ نَمَّاماً وَ الدُّبُّ وَ الزُّنْبُورُ كَانَتْ لَحَّاماً يَسْرِقُ فِي الْمِيزَانِ .
14. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan al-Ash‘ariy who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’, Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘The Elephant is metamorphosed, he was a king who fornicated. The wolf is metamorphosed. He was an A’rabi and a pimp. The Fox is metamorphosed. She was a woman who cheated her husband and would not take Ghusl (bath) because of her Hayd (menses). The Bat is metamorphosed. He stole people’s dates. The apes and pigs were from people of banu Israel who transgressed on Sabat. Eel and lizard are from a group of banu Israel who did not believe in the table sent for Jesus, son of Mary Alayhi al-Salam. They strayed, one group fell in the sea and one group remained on land. The Rat is metamorphosed; it is the indecent woman. The scorpion is metamorphosed. It was a taleteller. The bear is metamorphosed and the wasp was a butcher who stole from the balance.’” 