Al-Qushayri preserves a report from Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Tusi that he saw Maruf al-Karkhi may Allah have mercy on him one day and returned the next to find a fresh mark on his face. After initially declining to explain it, Maruf reportedly said that after praying the previous night he desired to circumambulate the Sacred House, went to Mecca, performed tawaf, and then slipped while going to Zamzam, causing the facial injury. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi preserves the same core through a different upper chain, and al-Dhahabi later repeats it. The common direct witness is well regarded, but the extraordinary travel itself remains a reported karamah rather than a formally authenticated historical certainty.
Maruf initially did not want to explain the mark. The report says that he told the questioner to ask about matters that concerned him and only gave an explanation after being pressed under oath. This reluctance forms part of the account and precedes the extraordinary claim.
Maruf then reportedly said that he had prayed locally the previous night and felt a desire to circumambulate the Sacred House. He said that he went to Mecca and performed tawaf. Afterward, he went toward Zamzam to drink, slipped at its entrance, and injured his face. In the narrative, the fresh facial mark seen the next day is therefore presented as the physical sign that prompted the disclosure of the reported journey.
Al-Qushayri preserves the account with a named chain ending in Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Tusi. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi preserves the same core report through a different upper chain that also converges on Muhammad ibn Mansur. Al-Dhahabi later records the story as well. These separate upper transmissions show substantial classical preservation, though they ultimately depend on the same direct witness for Maruf’s statement.
The witness himself has meaningful biographical support. Rijal sources describe Muhammad ibn Mansur as trustworthy, and his biographical entry lists Maruf al-Karkhi among those from whom he narrated, supporting direct contact between the two men. That strengthens the report’s immediate witness layer.
The evidence does not, however, establish how the extraordinary journey occurred, and Task 1 did not lock a formal authentication grade for the complete chains. The safest public conclusion is therefore that classical Sunni sources preserve a report in which Maruf explained a fresh facial injury by saying that he had gone to Mecca, performed tawaf, and slipped near Zamzam during the previous night. The story has meaningful transmission support and justifies medium-confidence inclusion with caution, but it should remain a reported saintly karamah without inventing a mechanism, exact travel speed, or certain historical proof of extraordinary transport.
Conclusion
Classical Sunni sources preserve a report in which Maruf al-Karkhi explains a fresh facial mark by saying that he travelled to Mecca, performed tawaf, and slipped near Zamzam the previous night. The reliable common witness and multiple classical preservations support medium-confidence inclusion with caution, while the extraordinary travel remains a reported karamah rather than an authenticated mechanism or certainty.