[Aḥmad ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Shāmī:] Na bar Baghdad don yin aikin Hajji. A hanyata na haɗu da wani mutum wanda ke ɗauke da alamar taƙawa. Ya tambaye ni daga ina nake. 17.1

[Aḥmad ibn al-ʿAbbās al-Shāmī:] I left Baghdad to make the pilgrimage. On the way I met a man who bore the stamp of piety. He asked me where I was from. 17.1

"Daga Baghdad," na amsa, "birnin da ya lalace har Allah zai iya shafe shi daga fuskar duniya tare da duk wanda ke zaune a cikinsa." Ina tsoro, sai na gudu. Sai ya ce: "Koma, kada ka ji tsoro. A cikin birnin akwai kaburburan abokan God huɗu waɗanda za su kare Baghdad daga cutarwa." "Su wane ne?" "Limamin nan Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Maʿrūf al-Karkhī, Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, da Manṣūr ibn ʿAmmār." Sai na koma na ziyarci kaburburansu.

“From Baghdad,” I replied, “which has gotten so corrupt that God is likely to wipe it off the face of the earth along with everyone who lives there. I was afraid, so I ran.” “Go back,” he said, “and don’t be afraid. In the city are the graves of four allies of God who will protect Baghdad from harm.” “Who are they?” “The exemplar Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Maʿrūf al-Karkhī, Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith, and Manṣūr ibn ʿAmmār.” So I went back and visited the graves.