Ahmad al-Rifa'i Kissed the Blessed Hand of the Prophet ﷺ

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على رسوله الامين

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

ِThe famous miracle of the saint Ahmad bin Ali ar-Rifa’i, may Allah have mercy on him, in which he kissed the blessed hand of the Prophet, sall Allahu alaihi wasallam, that came out of his grave, has been mentioned by Imam Jalal-ud-Din as-Suyuti:

وَفِي بَعْضِ الْمَجَامِيعِ حَجَّ سَيِّدِي أحمد الرفاعي فَلَمَّا وَقَفَ تُجَاهَ الْحُجْرَةِ الشَّرِيفَةِ أَنْشَدَ فِي حَالَةِ الْبُعْدِ رُوحِي كُنْتُ أُرْسِلُهَا تُقَبِّلُ الْأَرْضَ عَنِّي فَهْيَ نَائِبَتِي وَهَذِهِ نَوْبَةُ الْأَشْبَاحِ قَدْ حَضَرَتْ فَامْدُدْ يَمِينَكَ كَيْ تَحْظَى بِهَا شَفَتِي فَخَرَجَتِ الْيَدُ الشَّرِيفَةُ مِنَ الْقَبْرِ الشَّرِيفِ فَقَبَّلَهَا

Sayyidi Ahmad ar-Rifa’i said: “Extend your right hand so that my lips may receive it.” Then the honorable hand emerged from the honorable grave, and he kissed it (al-Hawi lil-Fatawa, v.2, p.248)

Likewise, it was mentioned by Abd-ul-Karim bin Muhammad ar-Rifa’i:

وكنت مع الزوار في الحرم النبوي عام حجه الذي مدت له فيه يد النبي و شاهدت اليد النبوية ببركته رضي الله عنه وكان فيمن حضر الشيخ علي الهبتي الذي هو الآن بين أظهرنا والشيخ عدي بن مسافر والشيخ عبد القادر الجيلي والشيخ الزعفراني والشيخ عزاز و غير رجل فلما تجلى الله عليه بهذه الموهبة العظيمة والمنة الكريمة و آن وقت انصراف جسمه من الحضور النبوي اضطجع بباب الحرم وأقسم على الناس أن يدوس كلهم عنقه فكانت العامة تتخطى عنقه المبارك والخاصة انصرفوا من أبواب آخر وكنت لديه وهو يبكي ويقول اللهم زدني تمكيناً وإيماناً ومعرفة بك وبنبيك

واخبرني شيخنا الإمام الحجة القدوة أبو الفرج عمر الفاروثي الواسطي قال حج سيدنا وشيخنا السيد أحمد الرفاعي عام خمس وخمسين وخمسمائة فلما وصل المدينة وتشرف بزيارة جده عليه الصلاة   والسلام وقف تجاه حجرة النبي ووقفنا خلف ظهره فقال السلام عليك يا جدي فقال له عليه افضل صلوات الله وعليك السلام يا ولدي فتواجد لهذه النعمة وقال منشداً في حالة البعد روح حي كنت أرسلها تقبل الارض عني فهي نائبتي وهذه دولة الاشباح قد حضرت فامدد يمينك كي تحظى بها شفتي فمد له رسول الله يده الشريفة من قبره الكريم فقبلها في ملا يقرب من تسعين ألف رجل والناس ينظرون يد النبي ويسمعون كلامه وكان فيمن حضر الشيخ حيوة بن قيس الحراني والشيخ عبد القادر الجيلي والشيخ عدي الشامي وشاهدوا ذلك هم و غير هم رضي الله عنهم أجمعين

I was with the visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque during the year of his [Ahmad ar-Rifa’is] Hajj, in which the hand of the Prophet was extended to him, and I witnessed the Prophet’s hand with his blessing, may Allah be pleased with him. Among those who were present were Shaikh Ali al-Hibti, who is now among us, and Shaikh Adi bin Musafir, Shaikh Abd-ulQadir al-Jili, Shaikh az-Za’farani, Shaikh Azzaz, and others. When Allah revealed this great gift and generous favor to him, and the time came for his body to depart from the Prophet’s presence, he lay down at the door of the Mosque and swore to the people that they would all step on his neck. The common people would step over his blessed neck, and the elite would leave through other doors. I was with him while he wept and said, “Allahumma, increase my empowerment, faith, and knowledge of You and Your Prophet.” Our Shaikh, the Imam, the Proof, and the Model, Abu al-Faraj Umar al-Faruthi al-Wasiti, told me that our master and Shaikh, Sayyid Ahmad ar-Rifa’i, performed Hajj in the year 555 AH. When he arrived in Madinah and was honored to visit his grandfather, peace and blessings be upon him, he stood facing the room of the Prophet, and we stood behind him. He said, “Peace be upon you, my grandfather.” So he said to him, “May the best blessings of Allah be upon you, and peace be upon you, my son.” He was filled with this blessing and said, chanting: In the event of distance, a living spirit I would send to kiss the ground on my behalf, for it is my representative, and this state of ghosts has come, so extend your right hand so that my lips may receive it. So the Messenger of Allah extended his honorable hand to him from his noble grave, so he kissed it in the presence of nearly ninety thousand men, and the people were looking at the hand of the Prophet and hearing his words. Among those who were present were Shaikh Haywah bin Qais al-Harrani, Shaikh Abd-ul-Qadir al-Jili, and Shaikh Adi ash-Shami, and they and others witnessed that, may Allah be pleased with them all (Sawad ul-Ainain, pp.60-61)