The squares of chess, in order due,
Must take their place between these two;
When thus arranged, a name appears,
Which every Muslim heart reveres.'

The solution, as given by a reverend ulema of Constantinople to a
learned German who could not solve the mystery, is: 'Take the "vow of
Moses," which is 40; double it, and it becomes 80, equivalent to the
two Mims in the name Muhammed. Place under these the bases of the
temperaments--that is, the elements--which are four (the power of the
letter D); then take the number of the houses (or squares) of chess,
which are eight in a row, and place it (8 being equal to the letter H)
between the two Ms, and you have the name of the prophet, Muhammed
(MHMD.')

'It has been necessary,' observes Mr Bland, 'to turn the Arabic
commentary a little, in order to make the solution more intelligible
to those unacquainted with the trick of Eastern riddles. Some further
explanation is also required to illustrate the solution itself.
The vow of Moses refers to his forty days' fast; the four
temperaments--the bile, the atrabile, phlegm, and blood--are
represented in the Arabian system of physics by the four elements,
which are considered to be connected with them; the figures refer to
the numerical power of the _abjad_, or alphabet; and the enigma itself
has been attributed, though on uncertain grounds, to Ali, the
son-in-law of the prophet.'