In his book " Sawadu l-^Anayni fi manaqibi l-Ghawthi 'Abi l-^Alamayn" which extols the virtues of Imam Ar-Rifa^iyy, Ar-Rifa^iyy recounted: "Our esteemed shaykh, the imam, the authority, the exemplar 'Abu l-Faraj ^Umar Al-Faruthiyy Al-Wasitiyy, relayed to me that 'Our master and shaykh 'Ahmad Ar-Rifa^iyy performed the pilgrimage in the year five hundred and fifty-five of the Hijra.
Upon reaching Medina and having the privilege of visiting his ancestor (peace be upon him), he stood facing the chamber of the Prophet (peace be upon him) with us behind him. He greeted: ' As-salamu ^alayka ya Jaddi!' (Peace be upon you, O my grandfather!), to which the Prophet (peace be upon him) responded: Wa ^alayka s-salamu ya waladi!' (And peace be upon you, O my son!). Upon hearing this sublime voice, he was overwhelmed with ecstasy and improvised some verses:"
في حالة البعد روحي كنت أرسلها *** تُقبّل الأرض عني وهي نائبتي
وهذه دولة الأشباح قد حضرت *** فامدد يمينك كي تحظى بها شفتي
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”Fi halati l-bu^di ruhi kuntu 'ursiluha
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Tuqabbilu l-'arda ^anni wahya na'ibati
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Wa hadhihi dawlatu l-'ashbahi qad hadarat
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Famdud yaminaka kay tahdha biha shafati”
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That means:
From afar, I dreamt of my soul's flight to thee,
To kiss your tomb on my behalf as an emissary
But now that my body physically stands nigh,
I plead with you, extend your hand, let my lips come by!
Then, from his honored grave, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ extended his noble hand. Ar-Rifa^iyy kissed it in the presence of nearly ninety thousand people, who gazed upon the hand of the Prophet ﷺ and listened to his voice. Among them were Shaykh Hayat ibnu Qays Al-Harraniyy, Shaykh ^Abdu l-Qadir Al-Jiliyy, and Shaykh ^Adiyy Ash-Shamiyy. They, among others, were witnesses to this, may Allah accept their deeds.
Ar-Rafi^iyy, as mentioned earlier, was described by At-Taj As-Subkiyy in "Tabaqatu sh-shafi^iyyah": "Imam Ar-Rafi^iyy mastered several sciences, whether it be Tafsir, Hadith, or the Fundamentals of Belief. He surpassed his contemporaries in his transmissions, his ability to delve into subjects, his pedagogy, and his capacity for acquiring knowledge. In Jurisprudence, he was the master of authors and an indispensable pillar of critical inquiry, as if he had revived and disseminated this science, erecting its pillars after ignorance had killed and buried it." The author of "Mukhtasar talkhisi l-'asadiyy fi Tabaqatu sh-shafi^iyyah" also lavished praise upon Ar-Rafi^iyy in the biography dedicated to him.
As for the renowned karamah, Al-Jalal As-Suyutiyy also mentioned it in his treatise " Ash-sharafu l-muhattam fima manna l-Lahu bihi ^ala waliyyihi s-Sayyid 'Ahmada r-Rifa^iyy min taqbili yadi n-Nabiyy" composed in honour of the master 'Ahmad Ar-Rifa^iyy: "Our shaykh, the Shaykh of Islam, the Shaykh of religious completeness, and the imam of accomplished Muslims, conveyed to us from the shaykh of our shaykhs, the imam, the illustrious, Shaykh Shamsu d-Din Al-Jazariyy, based on his shaykh, the imam, Shaykh Zaynu d-Din Al-Muraghiyy, who reported from the shaykh of shaykhs, the hero, the traditionist, the preacher, the jurist, the exegete, the imam, the model, the reference, Shaykh ^Izzu d-Din 'Ahmad Al-Faruthiyy Al-Wasitiyy who conveyed from his father, the true master, the illustrious honoured scholar, Shaykh 'Abu 'Ishaq 'Ibrahim Al-Faruthiyy, who reported from his father, the imam of jurists and traditionists, the shaykh of great sufis and scholars working for the religion, Shaykh ^Izzu d-Din ^Umar 'Abu l-Faraj Al-Faruthiyy Al-Wasitiyy —may Allah elevate them all in rank—that he said: "I was with our shaykh, our refuge, and our master, 'Abu l-^Abbas Al-Qutb Al-Ghawth[1] Al-Jami^, Shaykh 'Ahmad Ar-Rifa^iyy Al-Husayniyy, may Allah accept his deeds, in the year five hundred fifty-five of the Hijri calendar (555 H), the year Allah destined for him to perform the Pilgrimage. When he arrived in the city of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he stood facing the chamber of the Prophet ﷺ and said in front of many witnesses: ‘As-salamu ^alayka ya Jaddi’ (Peace be upon you, O my grandfather).' The Prophet ﷺ replied: ‘Wa ^alayka s-salamu ya waladi’ (And upon you be peace, O my son).' Everyone in the Prophet's Mosque heard this. Our master 'Ahmad was then overwhelmed with emotion, trembling, his face turning yellow, and he knelt down. Then he stood up, weeping and groaning for a long time, until he said:
From afar, I dreamt of my soul's flight to thee,
To kiss your tomb on my behalf as an emissary
But now that my body physically stands nigh,
I plead with you, extend your hand, let my lips come by!
From his illuminated and sacred tomb, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ extended his honored and fragrant hand. He kissed it before nearly ninety thousand people who beheld his beloved hand. Also present in the mosque alongside the pilgrims were Shaykh Hayat Ibnu Qays Al-Harraniyy, Shaykh ^Abdu l-Qadir Al-Jiliyy residing in Baghdad, Shaykh Khamis, Shaykh ^Adi Ibnu Musafir Ash-Shamiyy, and others—may Allah grant us benefit from their knowledge and honour us with the sight of the hand of the Prophet ﷺ.
On that day, Shaykh Hayat Ibnu Qays Al-Harraniyy enlisted under the banner of our master Ahmad Al-Kabir and became one of his disciples." Following this, As-Suyutiyy reports the various chains of transmission of this account and stated: "It is known that this blessed news spread among the Muslims to the extent of achieving tawatur status, thus becoming irrefutable due to the eminence of its chains of transmission, the authenticity of various versions, and the consensus of diverse narrators. To deny this is a despicable hypocrisy, may Allah protect us from it!"
He then responded to those who might question whether the act of seeing the hand of the Messenger ﷺ, by Ar-Rifa^iyy and the other visitors, qualifies them as companions. He asserts: "The most probable scenario is that they did not attain the status of Companions, as affirmed by As-Sakhawiyy and others, because the status of Companion is exclusively acquired during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The life of the Messengerﷺ in his tomb represents a state after death, not a continuation of worldly existence, and thus, it is not governed by the laws of worldly life." Just as the meeting of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with other prophets at Al-'Aqsa Mosque during the night of Al-'Isra' did not confer upon them the status of Companions.
Lastly, it is established that As-Suyutiyy was competent to provide jurisprudential opinions and to teach, to the extent that the number of teachers from whom he received endorsements of competence, whom he studied under, or whom he recited before, amounted to fifty-one. He authored nearly five hundred works known across the globe. It is readily verifiable for anyone who wishes to do so!
Ar-Rafi^iyy also recounted: "The righteous Shaykh, 'Abu Musa Al-Haddadiyy, reported to me that Shaykh ‘Abu Muhammad Jamalu d-Din Al-Khatib narrated an account involving a girl from Al-Haddadiyyah named Fatimah. Before her birth, her mother struggled to conceive. She vowed that if Allah granted her a child, she would dedicate that child's life to serving the disciples of our master, Shaykh 'Ahmad Ar-Rifa^iyy, who might come to Al-Haddadiyah. Shortly after that, Allah answered her supplications, and she became pregnant. Upon delivery, the newborn was a hunchbacked girl. As Fatimah grew and began to walk, her limp became apparent, and later she lost her hair due to illness.
One day, our esteemed Ahmad Al-Kabir visited Al-Haddadiyah. The villagers accorded him a warm welcome, among them the limping Fatimah, often subjected to ridicule by the girls of Al-Haddadiyah. When she approached our revered Shaykh 'Ahmad, she expressed: 'O master, you are my shaykh, my mother's shaykh, and my saviour! I am deeply troubled by my condition. May Allah, through the blessings of your sanctity and your kinship with the Messenger of Allah, deliver me from this affliction, for my soul grows weary of the girls of Al-Haddadiyah and their mockery!'
Moved by compassion and mercy for her plight, tears welled in his eyes. He beckoned her to draw near, and as she approached, he tenderly touched her head, back, and feet with his blessed hand. By the will of Allah, her hair began to grow, her hunch disappeared, and her legs straightened. Her condition was restored to normal!"
His Asceticism and Humility
Imam 'Ahmad Ar-Rifa^iyy Al-Kabir —may Allah accept his deeds— was noted for his personal modesty and humility towards his fellow brethren. He never displayed arrogance or pride towards them. It has been reported that he said, "I have traversed all the paths leading to sainthood, but I found none shorter, easier, or more suitable than humility, submission, and self-restraint." When asked, "O master, how does one practically achieve this?" he replied, "By glorifying Allah, showing compassion towards His creatures, and adhering to the law of your master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."
He was among those who diligently performed tasks with his own hands. He would mend his own shoes, gather firewood, bind it with rope, and carry it to the homes of widows, the poor, and those in need. He addressed the concerns of those in distress, assisted the blind in putting on their shoes, and accompanied them to their destinations. He visited those afflicted with leprosy and chronic diseases, washing their clothes, bringing them food, eating with them, sitting with them, and requesting their prayers. He visited the sick, and upon hearing of an ill person in a distant village, he would make the journey to see them. His compassion extended to all of Allah's creatures, and he was particularly tender-hearted towards orphans. The neglect of his students would move him to tears, while their happiness brought him joy. He exhibited complete humility towards them.
The shaykhs of his time said: "Everything that befell the son of Ar-Rifa^iyy, which testified to his eminent status, was but the fruit of his great kindness towards all creatures and the submission of his soul."
May Allah accept his deeds, he held scholars and jurists in high regard, commanding that they be esteemed and respected. He would say: "They are the pillars and guides of the Community!"
