Hafiz Muhammad ibn Tahir al-Maqdisi (رحمه الله) was born in the year 448 Hijri in Bayt al-Maqdis and passed away in 507 Hijri in Baghdad while returning from Hajj. He was counted among the notable travellers in pursuit of hadith and among the recognised huffaz of his time.
Imam al-Sam‘ani relates that some scholars mentioned that Muhammad ibn Tahir would walk the distance of seventeen farsakh in a single night, and at times up to twenty farsakh in a day and night — approximately one hundred kilometres — carrying his books upon his back. His journeys were frequent and extensive, and he became known among the great travellers in search of hadith.
He heard hadith in Egypt, al-Sham, the Hijaz, Iraq, Fars, Khurasan, Iskandariyyah, Bayt al-Maqdis, Damascus, Aleppo, Makkah, Baghdad, Asbahan, Jurjan, Naysabur, Herat, Marw, and numerous other cities. It was said that none of his contemporaries travelled as extensively as he did, nor authored volumes with his own hand as he did. These details are recorded in Tadhkirat al-Huffaz.
Muhammad ibn Tahir himself stated that he once urinated blood twice during his pursuit of knowledge — once in Baghdad and once in Makkah — due to walking barefoot in intense heat. Despite this hardship, he did not ride an animal while travelling for knowledge. He would carry his books on his head and did not ask anyone for assistance. He lived on whatever came to him without begging.
He recounts that during a period in Tinnees, his circumstances became so constrained that he possessed only one dirham. On a particular day, he needed both bread and paper for writing. If he spent the dirham on bread, he would have no means to purchase paper; and if he spent it on paper, he would have no bread. On one occasion, three days and nights passed without him eating.
These accounts illustrate the extent to which scholars endured physical hardship, financial strain, and travel across distant lands for the sake of preserving and acquiring knowledge. Their journeys were marked by perseverance, self-restraint, independence from people, and unwavering dedication to learning directly from scholars across regions.
