Imam (a) knows all the languages people speak with, and can speak them fluently with the same language and dialect. Currently, linguists estimate the number of living languages between 2500 to 5000; and Imam (a) knows and is able to speak all of them.
Abu Basir says, “I was with Imam al-Kazim (a) when a man from Khurasan came. He spoke with Imam (a) in Arabic with difficulty, but then, Imam (a) answered him in Persian. The man said, ‘May I be at your ransom! I swear by God that I did not speak with you in Persian because I thought that you do not know Persian well.’
Imam (a) said,
“Glory be to God! If I could not answer you well, then what would be my primacy over you?” (i.e. what would be the difference between the proof of God or an Imam and ordinary people) Then, he (a) told me, ‘O Aba Muhammad! Surly, there is no talk hidden to Imam (a) of any person, or of any bird or of any animal and anything having soul; so, if a person does not have such a quality, he is not an Imam.”
We should mention that the Twelfth Imam (a) has this attribute too.
Sources:
Kafi, vol. 1, p. 285.
Tarjuman-e Vahy Journal, no. 11, Esfand 1380, p. 106.
