Sayyid Ahmed Rifaa’ee (rahimahullah) is well known as one of the greatest saints of Islam. He passed away in the year 578 AH.

In the year 555 AH, Sayyid Ahmed Rifaa’ee (rahimahullah) was blessed to go to Makkah Mukarramah to perform haj. After completing his haj, he visited the blessed city of Madinah Munawwarah to visit the blessed grave of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). While standing before the blessed grave of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), he recited the following couplets:

في حالة البعد روحي كنت أرسلها     تقبل الأرض عني وهي نائبتي

وهذه دولة الأشباح قد حضرت     فامدد يمينك كي تحظى بها شفتي

When I was far away, I would send my soul to you as my representative, kissing the ground (at the Rowdhah Mubaarak) on my behalf

Now the time has come for me to physically present myself with my body, so (now that I have come in person,) please extend your blessed hand so that my lips may acquire the honor of kissing it

As he recited these couplets, the blessed hand of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) extended from the Rowdhah Mubaarak, and Sayyid Ahmed Rifaa’ee (rahimahullah) then kissed it. This event occurred in the presence of approximately ninety-thousand people who witnessed it.

(Al-Haawee 2/314 , Fazaa’il-e-Haj (Urdu) pg. 789 and Wafayaat-ul-A’yaan 1/172 )