Gyarveen Shareef : My foot is on the necks of all the Awliya of Allah

Hadrat Imam Abul-Hasan 'Ali bin Yusuf Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho narrates from Abu-Muhammad Salim bin'Ali Damyati Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho and he narrates from six illustrious Mashi'ikh who were the Sufi Masters of Iraq. They were Hadrat Abu-Tahir Sar'sari, Shaykh Abul-Hasan Hafaf Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho, Shaykh Abu-Hafs Buraydi Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho, Shaykh Abul-Qasim 'Umar al-Dardani Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho, Shaykh Abul-Walid Zayd bin Sa'id Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho and Shaykh Abu-'Amar 'Uthman bin Sulayman Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho. They informed him that Hadrat Abul-Faraj 'Abdur-Rahim Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho and Abul-Hasan 'Ali Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho both nephews of Sayyidi Shaykh Ahmad Rifa'i Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho related to them: 

کنا عند شیخنا الشیخ احمد بن الرفاعی بزاویته بام عبیدة فمد عنقه وقال علی رقبتی، فسئلناه عن ذٰلک فقال قد قال الشیخ عبدالقادر الآن بغداد قدمی ھذه علی رقبة کل ولی الله
We were present in the Khanqah (School) with our Murshid, Sayyid Ahmad al-Rifa'i Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho in Umme-'Obayd. Suddenly our Shaykh al-Rifa'i Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho moved his neck forward and said: عَلَى رَقَبَتِي [“On my neck”]. We inquired from him about his action and declaration. He replied: “At this moment Hadrat 'Abd al-Qadir has declared in Baghdad that his foot is on the necks of all the Awliya of Allah.”[Bahjat al-Asrar, Published Mustafa Al-Babi (Egypt), Page 13]

Note: Three more Narrations of different narrators with almost the same wordings are also stated on Page 13 and 14 of Bahjat al-Asrar published by Mustafa Al-Babi in Egypt.

Imam Ibn Hajr Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho lists some of the senior Awliya, who bent their heads in submission, as follows:

§ The patron Saint of the Suhrawardi Sufi Order, Hadrat Sayyidi 'Abd al-Qahir Abu-Najib Suhrawardi Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho who bent his head and said:

علٰی رأسی علٰی رأسی
“ On my head, on my head.”

§ Sayyidi Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho bent his head and said:

علی رقبتی
“This small Ahmad is also amongst them on whose neck is the foot the Master.”

When he was asked about his strange action and comment, he replied:

الشیخ عبدالقادر الآن بغداد قدمی ھذه علی رقبة کل ولی الله
“At this moment, Shaykh Sayyid 'Abd al-Qadir Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho has announced in Baghdad that his foot is on the necks of all the Awliya of Allah, therefore I too, humbly said that this small Ahmad is also amongst them .”

§ Hadrat Sayyidi Abu-Madyan Shu'ib Maghribi Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho also bent his head and said:

وانا منھم اللھم انی اشھدک واشھدملٰئکتک انی سمعت واطعت
“I am also amongst them. O Allah! I make You and all the Angels a witness that I heard the command of 'Qadami' and obeyed.”

§ Hadart Sayyidi 'Abd al-Rahim Qanawi Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anho bent his neck to the ground and said:

صدق الصادق المصدوق
“The truthful has spoken the Truth.”

[Fatawa Hadithiyya, Dar al-Ihya al-Turath al Arabi (Berut - Lebanon), Page 414]