The Source of Traditions on Imam al-Riḍā (Vol 1) · Hadith 292 (#Ḥadīth #84)

84 - حَدَّثَنا أَبي قالَ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا سَعْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّه عَنْ أَحْمَدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ الحَسَن بْنِ عَلِىِّ بْنِ فضال، عَن أَحْمَدِ بْنِ أشيم عَنِ الرِّضا a.sُ قالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ لِمَ سَمَّوُا الْعَرَبُ أَوْلادَهُمْ بِكَلْبٍ وَنَمِرٍ وَفَهْدٍ وَأَشْبَاهِ ذَلِكَ قَالَ كَانَتِ الْعَرَبُ أَصْحَابَ حَرْبٍ فَكَانَتْ تُهَوِّلُ عَلَى الْعَدُوِّ بِأَسْمَاءِ أَوْلادِهِمْ وَيُسَمُّونَ عَبِيدَهُمْ فَرَجْ وَمُبَارَكْ وَمَيْمُونْ [فَرَجاً وَمُبَارَكاً وَمَيْمُوناً] وَأَشْبَاهَ ذَلِكَ يَتَيَمَّنُونَ بِهَا.

28-84 (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 Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa, on the authority of Al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Fadhdhal, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Ashyam that he asked Al-Ridha (s), “May I be your ransom! Why do the Arabs put such names as Dog, Tiger, Cheetah and the like on their children?” The Imam (s) replied, “It is because the Arabs were warriors and they wanted to frighten their enemies with these names. They also used to put such names as Comfort and Blessed on their slaves and thought this was a good omen.”

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).