Abdulhamid Al-Rafi’i
Abdulhamid bin Abdul Ghani Al-Rafi’i Al-Farouki (; 1851–1932) was a Lebanese poet, writer, journalist and politician. Career. He was born in Tripoli, Lebanon on the 5of Sha’ban of 1275 AH (March 5,1851 AD). His father was one of the leading scholars of Tripoli who nurtured him during his upbringing, he then studied in Tripoli’s schools, then he studied under sheikh Husain Al-Gisr for four years. He attended rhetoric classes at Sheikh Mahmoud Nashabh’ circle. He then left for Egypt and received a five-year education from the scholars of Al-Azhar Mosque where he  excelled in Arabic sciences and literature. He studied law in Istanbul, where he worked as an editor in the Arab journal of Moderation (Arabic: Jaredat Al-E’tidal Al’arabiyah) alongside Hassan Al-Tawerani. He returned to Tripoli, and entered in the service of the state and was appointed as an interrogator, he stayed there for 10 years and then moved to Benghazi, then transferred to Astana (Istanbul) where he was assigned to the Ministry of interior and was appointed as a lieutenant in Nazareth District, and he transferred through the Administrative jobs for 20 years, he gained the second order because  of his good services and retired in 1914. He was subjected to the indignation of the Turkish government during the first world war because his son escaped the compulsory military service, he was exiled to Medina then transferred to Kirklareli in Anatolia, he remained exiled for one year and three months. He was called (Syria’s Bulbul) (Arabic: bulbul Siria), and a ceremony was held to honor him by the Lebanese government in which he was awarded the Lebanese order of Merit, and famous Arab scholars and poets participated in the ceremony, including: Shakib Arsalan, Khalil Matran, as well as  Ahmed Shouqi with a poet he sent to the ceremony. Works. Abdulhamid Al-Rafi’i’s collection of poems Death. He died on Friday the 16of Dul-Hijjah, 1350 AH (22 April 1932 AD). He was buried in the family cemetery in Tripoli.