He transmitted a fair number of hadiths. A man of the desert, he was well acquainted with muzāraʿa and musāqāt (share-cropping and irrigation partnerships).

Those who narrated from him include Bishr ibn Yasar, Hanzala ibn Qays, al-Saʾib ibn Yazid, ʿAtaʾ ibn Abi Rabah, Mujahid, Nafiʿ al-ʿUmari, his son Rifaʿa ibn Rafiʿ, his grandson ʿAbaya ibn Rifaʿa, and others.

It is also reported that he fought at Siffin on ʿAli’s side.

Khalid ibn Yazid al-Hudhadi—who is reliable—said: Bishr ibn Harb told us:

“I was present at the funeral of Rafiʿ ibn Khadij while women were weeping and wailing over him. Ibn ʿUmar said, ‘Rafiʿ is an old man who could not endure Allah’s punishment, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The deceased is tormented because of his family’s crying over him” (1).’”

Shuʿba narrated from Abu Bishr, from Yusuf ibn Mahak, who said:

“I saw Ibn ʿUmar take hold of the two poles of Rafiʿ ibn Khadij’s bier, place them on his shoulder, and walk in front of the coffin until they reached the grave, saying, ‘The dead is tormented by the lamentation of the living’ (2).”

I (the author) say: Rafiʿ ibn Khadij was among those who issued legal verdicts in Medina during the reign of Muʿawiya and afterwards.

He died in 74—or 73—AH at the age of eighty-six—may Allah have mercy on him—and left several sons.

Hammad ibn Zayd reported from Bishr ibn Harb:

“When Rafiʿ ibn Khadij passed away, someone said to Ibn ʿUmar, ‘Postpone the burial for a night so the villagers can be informed.’ He replied, ‘What you have decided is excellent.’”