Abul Aaliya (Tabiyee) kissed it as it touched Prophet peace be upon him.
Anas ibn Malik once gave an apple to Abul Aaliya (a Tabi‘ee). Abul Aaliya held it in his palm, touched it, kissed it, and then pressed it to his face. He said:
«تفاحة مست كفا مس كف النبي صلى الله تعالى عليه وسلم»
“This apple touched the hand that touched the hand of the Prophet ﷺ.”
(Kitab al-Taqbeel wal-Mu’anaqa wal-Musafaha, no. 35, authenticated by Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai in his research on the book).
This demonstrates the love of the Tabi‘een. Their devotion was not mere superstition or belief that the apple held magical power; it was a profound love for anything that had been in contact with the Prophet ﷺ. He kissed it because it had touched the hand of the Prophet ﷺ.