Hazrat Uwais Qarni lived during the time of the Prophet, unable to meet him physically due his blind mother’s failing health. The Prophet had written to the mystic saying that the duty to his mother had to take priority over an audience with him.
Though Uwaiz of Qaran never met Prophet Muhammad, both were fully aware of each other’s spiritual presence, bound by the love of the one God. The Uwaisi form of spiritual transmission in vocabulary of Islamic mysticism was named after Uwais Qarni, as it refers to the transmission of spiritual knowledge between two individuals without the need for physical interaction between them. The story of Hazrat Uwaiz remains a favourite amongst Sufi circles. Sometimes the Messenger of God would turn in the direction of Yemen and say: “I perceive the fragrance of love from Yemen,” referring to the presence of a great lover of God living in that region.
So great was Uwaiz’s love for Prophet Muhammad, that upon hearing that the Prophet had lost two teeth in the battle of Uhud, he broke all his teeth as he did not know which two had been affected. The Prophet said, “There is a man who on the Day of Judgement will intercede for a multitude of my people, as many as the sheep of Rabia and Madhar.” He would add,
“Get Uwaiz Qarni to pray for your forgiveness.” The Prophet instructed Hazrat Omar and Hazrat Ali to find Uwaiz and present his cloak to him. After the Prophet passed on, they found him in the desert engaged in prayer.
Sadia Dehlvi is a Delhi-based writer and author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam.
She can be contacted at sadiafeedback@gmail.com
