About
Uwaiys-i-Gharan
Uwaiys-ibn-Amir
Moradi-al-Gharani (also spelled Uways and Uwais) was born in Najd,
Yemen. The date of his birth is not known. He took the name of
Gharan for one of two reasons: after Gharan, a place or a mountain
near Najd, where he was born, or after Gharan, his group from
the Bani Amir Tribe.
Uwaiys
was a devotee and a follower of the Prophet Mohammad and was martyred
at the battle of Saffein, a battle between Amir-al Momenin Ali
and Moavieh ibn Abysofiyan.
Uwaiys
was a slim man of medium height who had a white spot on the palm
of his hand. He ate very little, and sold dates to earn a living,
eating only to break his fasts and giving the remainder to the
needy. He wore an old robe, which he knitted himself, to keep
warm. He was a shepherd, and supported his elderly mother, whom
he cared for. (ref. to: Tazkerat-al-Ulia by Sheikh Fariddedin
Attar; Safin-tul-Ulia; Majales-al-Momenin; Haft-Iqlim.)
Uwaiys
was a pious man and has also been referred to as one of the zuhad-somanieh,
the eight pious ones. He was so well respected that the Prophet
Mohammad asked that, after his passing, his robe be given to Uwaiys.
Sheikh
Farid-e-din Attar writes in his Tazkerat-al-Ulia:
How
can I write about a man who was praised by the Prophet who said:
the fragrance of the Divine comes from the side of Yemen, where
Uwaiys lived; and on the Day of Resurrection, Divine will create
seventy thousand angels looking like Uwaiys to bring Uwaiys
to the celestial sphere. They will bring him to Paradise and
no one would know which one is the Uwaiys, as Uwaiys prayed
for God in his solitude, far away and hidden from the eyes of
people, so shall he go to paradise, and no one will know him;
only the ones loved by Allah. God said, "My friends are
under My Dome where no strangers can see them."
Ali ibn Usman al Hujwiri, a Persian Sufi and author of the eleventh
century, writes in his book, Kashf-ol Mahjub:
Uwaiys
is like the sun to Ommat, and the candle of religion. Uwaiys
Gharani is one of the great teachers who lived during the time
of the Prophet, but did not physically see the Prophet for two
reasons. First, he was in the state of Divine ecstasy and rapture,
and second, he was caring for his aged mother. The Prophet said
to his devotees, "There is a man in Gharan whose name is
Uwaiys. At the day of Resurrection he shall intercede for my
people to as many as the number of sheep of the Rabia and Muzzer
tribes." (These two tribes had the largest herd of sheep
during that time.) Then the Prophet turned to Omar and Ali and
said, "You will see him and recognize him; he is a firm,
thin man, of medium height and there is a white scar the size
of a coin on the palm of his hand but it is not leprosy. When
you see him, give him my greetings and ask him to pray for my
Ommat, my people."
Sheikh Najmed-din-Kubra known as Tamat-ol-Kura, one of the great
Uwaiysi masters writes:
If
the generosity of the Generous is close, the apparent distance
does not matter; and if the tenderness of the Tender is far,
what is the benefit of apparent closeness? Uwaiys Gharani brought
his life to the fire of his heart, and the Master of existence
(referring to the Prophet) felt this fragrance and said: I feel
the fragrance of God from the side of Yemen. People are blind
in the covers of darkness, and in the limited world of you and
I light cannot be seen, unless, to the eyes of those for whom
by the will of the Lovers of God the curtain of unawareness
will be torn off and hence, by this blessing whatever was invisible
shall be seen.
Shushtari, quoting from Manb-al-Abrar by Heydar ibn Ali
al Amoli, writes in his Majales-al-Momenin:
Dignity
and glory of Uwaiys Gharani and his awareness of the divine
secrets brought the fragrance of Divine to the side of the Prophet
who said, "I feel the spirit of God from the side of Yemen."
Salman asked the Prophet, "Who is this person?" and
Prophet answered, "There is a man in Yemen called Uwaiys
Gharani who on the day of Resurrection shall unite with the
Ommat whom he had prayed for."
Uwaiys was martyred in the year 37 L.H., in the battle of Saffein
while accompanying Amir al Momenin Hazrat Ali. Ibn Battoteh mentions
that his tomb is in Damascus and is a place of pilgrimage for
people of all classes.
Hajwiri
writes in his Kash-ol-Mahjub:
In
the battle of Saffein, in agreement with Amir-al Momenin Ali,
he fought with the enemies until he was martyred in that Battle.
He lived a praiseworthy life and died in prosperity.
Many
words of advice have been left from Uwaiys:
Your
heart returns to you. Guard your heart: be sure no one but God
enters your heart.
He
who knows Allah, nothing will remain hidden from him.
Health
is in solitude.
Do
not look at the smallness of your sin, look at the greatness
of the Creator who sees you committing your sin.
I
do not know a person who knows God, but makes friends with others.
Whoever
loves three things, hell shall be nearer to him than the vein
in his throat: tempted by good food, attracted to luxury, and
associating with the rich.
Many
of the great Sufis joined him in his way of understanding, and
they are called Uwaiysis.
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