A Fragrance of Ambergis on The Tale of the Four Maḥāmid

Written by Abu Atiyyah Mahmud hafidhahullah ____ During our visit to Masjid Muqbil with Shaykh Daghash al-ʿAjmī [14 Rabi' Al-Awwal 1448 AH (Thursday, August 27, 2026)], we had the opportunity to sit with the noble brothers Abū ʿAṭiyyah, Abū Isḥāq Saʿd, Abū Ḥudhayfah Sāmī, and others. During this sitting, Shaykh Daghash mentioned a remarkable historical event. This research by our teacher, Abū ʿAṭiyyah, came about as a result of that sitting. -------------------------- Who Were the Four Maḥāmid? They were called the Four Maḥāmid because each of their names began with “Muḥammad”: 1. Imām Muḥammad ibn Jarīr at-Ṭabarī — the leading scholar of Qur’anic tafsīr and history. 2. Imām Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq ibn Khuzaymah — known as “the Imām of the Imāms.” 3. Imām Muḥammad ibn Naṣr al-Marwazī. 4. Imām Muḥammad ibn Hārūn ar-Rūyānī. The Story Around the year 256 AH, these four great scholars met in Egypt while seeking knowledge. Eventually, they ran out of money and food, and their hunger became so severe that they had nothing left with which to sustain themselves. The four scholars agreed to draw lots. Whoever was chosen would go out and ask people for food for his companions. The lot fell upon Imām Ibn Khuzaymah. He said to his companions: «“Give me some time so that I can pray the prayer of seeking guidance” — or, according to another wording, “two rakʿahs.”» He then began praying and humbly supplicating to Allah. While Ibn Khuzaymah was praying, there was suddenly a knock at the door. They opened it and found a eunuch, one of the servants of the governor of Egypt, Aḥmad ibn Ṭūlūn, who had come with candles and a servant carrying money. The messenger asked about each of the scholars by name and gave each of them a purse containing fifty gold dinars. He then told them that the governor of Egypt had seen a dream during his afternoon nap. In the dream, someone called out to him: «“The Maḥāmid are hungry! The four Maḥāmid in your land are hungry while you are sleeping!”» The governor awoke frightened and immediately ordered that the scholars be found, helped, and honoured. Source: https://t.me/madrasatunaa/598