Ken’ân Rifâî voluntarily left the Numûne-i Terakkî Directorate in Istanbul in December 1900. In February 1901, he began his principalship at Medina-i Munawwere High School. He also taught geography, history, Turkish and ethics.
When Ken’ân Rifâî arrived in Medina, Medina High School was still under construction. The school, which was planned to be a secondary school at the time of its establishment, had been converted into a high school with the news that a new principal was coming from Istanbul.
Rifâî continued his classes under the roof of the Haram al-Sharif until the construction of the school was completed. In his early years, he made great efforts for the construction of the school and the development of its education system. The number of students, which did not exceed 25 at the time of its establishment, increased day by day under Ken’ân Rifâî’s leadership and reached 180.
The language of instruction at Medina High School, a public school, was Ottoman. A special Turkish course was organized for Arab students and Ken’ân Rifâî was the teacher.
Ken’ân Rifâî, who impressed the people of Medîna with his language skills in a short time, succeeded in attracting many of the local children to the school. However, not content with this, he established contact with Bedouin tribes and recruited students from them as well. He met with the notables of Medina and the neighboring towns and explained to them that education was “a blessing and an asset”.
Ken’ân Rifâî’s work in Medina soon gained the support of the local people and administrators. Shaykh al-Haram Osman Pasha appreciated Rifâî’s work and reported his services to the Bâbıâli.
In his correspondence with Istanbul, Osman Pasha stated that Warden Ken’ân Rifâî was extremely popular and respected in Medina and the surrounding neighborhoods for his services.
Ken’ân Rifâî’s years in Medina clearly reveal his spiritual depth and his influence on his environment. In Medina, he mingled with the people in a short time and fully adapted to the life of the city. His sincerity and love for people was recognized by the people of Medina, who soon dubbed him the “Father of Medina”.
In Ken’ân Rifâî’s works, memories of the Medina period occupy a large place. For him, Medina was not just a city, but a place full of miraculous states and a place where spiritual depth was discovered.
During his stay here, he also wrote a book titled Forty Lessons in Arabic in order to teach local Arabic to Turks.
It is understood that during the three years he was here, he experienced Sufi states and stations such as love, fanaa and consent. In his naats written in Ravza, Ken’ân Rifâî appears as a lover rather than an educator and administrator.
Na’t-ı Hazrat-i Nabawî
I have burned with the pain of the fierceness, O Habîballah for mercy!
I have no patience and endurance left, I have become bî-karâr, help!
For the lover, your love is enough for both the remedy and the life,
You are the dream of Yâ Resûllallah on the tongue and in the eyes, meded!
Though my sins are many, it is your glory to forgive!
My purpose is a cemâl from âh ü figurâ, meded!
My tongue-figârım, my troubled one, grant me mercy, thou martyr!
It is only your visâl that revives Ken’an, meded!
Pilgrimage and Return to Istanbul
On February 12, 1903, Ken’ân Rifâî asked for official permission to go to Mecca to perform his pilgrimage. After receiving a positive answer, he joined the Surre regiment under the supervision of Brigadier General Ibrahim Rifat Pasha from Medîne and started his pilgrimage. The son-in-law and son of the Shah of Iran, Sharif Avnur and Refik Pasha are on Hajj. The Surre emir is Mehdi Bey. The number of pilgrims that year was limited by the Emir of Mecca in order to keep health issues under control.
After returning to Medîna, Ken’ân Rifâî sent a telegram to the Ministry of Education, stating that he needed treatment for his eye condition, and asked for permission to come to Istanbul. However, due to the fact that most of the time was spent on the road and his father’s illness, he requested an extension of his leave. In the meantime, he would be promoted and rewarded for his services in Medina and transferred to his new duty station in Istanbul.
