|
Uwaiys-ibn-Amir Moradi-al-Karani (r.a.) (also spelled Uways and
Uwais) was born in Najd, Yemen. The date of his birth is not
known. He took the name of Karani for one of two reasons: after
Karani, a place or a mountain near Najd, where he was born, or
after Karani, his group from the Bani Amir Tribe.
Hazrat Khawjha Uwaiys Karani (r.a.) was a devotee and a follower
of the Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.s.) and was martyred at the
battle of Saffein, a battle between Amir-al Momenin Hazrat Ali (r.a.)
and Moavieh ibn Aby sofiyan.
Hazrat Khawjha Uwaiys Karani (r.a.) was a slim man of medium
heigKarani who had a white spot on the palm of his hand. He had
spots on his face and had many hairs on the body. 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 wears an old
robe, which he knit himself, to keep warm. He was a shepherd,
and supported his elderly mother, whom he cared for.
Hazrat Khawjha Uwaiys Karani (r.a.) was a pious man and has also
been referred to as one of the zuhad-somanieh, the eigKarani
pious ones. He was such a true devotee and well respected that
the Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.s.) ordered that after his veiling
from this materialistic world His robe be given to Khawjha
Uwaiys Karani (r.a.).
Sheikh Farid-e-din Attar writes in his Tazkerat-al-Ulia:
How can I write about a man who was praised by the Holy Prophet
Mohammed (s.a.w.s.) 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-al Mahjub:
Uwaiys is like a sun to my Ummat, and the candle of religion.
Uwaiys Karaniis one of the great teachers who lived during the
time of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.s.), but did not
physically see the Holy Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.s.) for two
reasons. First, he was in the state of Divine ecstasy and
rapture, and second, he was caring for his aged mother. The Holy
Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.s.) said to his devotees, "There is a
man in Karani 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 heigKarani 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 Ummat, 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
KaranibrougKarani 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 ligKarani 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.
ShusKaraniari, quoting from Manb-al-Abrar by Heydar ibn Ali al
Amoli, writes in his Majales-al-Momenin:
Dignity and glory of Uwaiys Karaniand his awareness of the
divine secrets brougKarani the fragrance of Divine to the side
of the Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.s.) who said, "I feel the spirit
of God from the side of Yemen." Hazrat Salman (r.a.) asked the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.), "His Majesty, Who is this person?" so
the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) answered, "There is a man in Yemen
called Uwaiys Karanii, who on the day of Resurrection shall
unite with my Ummat 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 (r.a.).
Ibn Battoteh mentions that his tomb is in Damascus and is a
place of pilgrimage for people of all classes.
Hazrat Data Ganj Baksh Urf Ali Hajwiri writes in his
Kash-al-Mahjub:
In the battle of Saffein, in agreement with Amir-al Momenin Ali
(r.a.), he fougKarani 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 Hazrat Khawjha Uwaiys
Karanii:
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 Uwaiysi. The history of the Uwaiysi Path
goes back to the legendary figure, Uwaiys-I-Karani, who lived
during the time of the Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.s.). Uwaiys did
not see the prophet but nonetheless became one of his
outstanding followers and students. His way of understanding -
receiving inspiration and teaching from a physically absent
teacher - became a way known as NISBAT E UWAYISI.
According to historians, no one knows how the Uwaiysi tarighat
developed. Some related themselves to Uwaiys yet it is not clear
how a tarighat developed through Uwaiys, as he was in the state
of ecstasy and annihilated in the Divine, and there is no
evidence that he permitted any one to guide people after his
death.
We read in the history of Islam that Uwaiysi Sufis did not
establish a regular tarighat, in the traditional sense, since
their affiliation with the teacher is not through the usual
transmission of a chain. It is based on the guidance from the
invisible teacher rather than a physical human teacher.
Top
Biography by: Shansha Taji
|
Group
.