Uwais Al-Qarni: Famous in the Heavens, Unknown on Earth
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There was a tabi'in who never met the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, but his name was mentioned by him to his friends. His name is Uwais bin Amir Al-Qarni, from Yemen. In an authentic hadith narrated by Muslim, Rasulullah said to Umar bin Khattab: there will come to you a man named Uwais from Yemen with his entourage, he used to have a skin disease and then recovered except for one dirham, he was very devoted to his mother - "if he swears in the name of Allah, Allah will surely grant it. So if you can ask him to ask for forgiveness for you, do it." Consider this oddity: Umar, the caliph who was guaranteed heaven, was ordered to ask for prayers from an unknown poor man. For years, Umar looked for him in every Hajj group from Yemen, until he finally met him. After asking Uwais to apologize for him, Umar offered his help and influence. Uwais only asked for one thing: to be allowed to remain unknown, to dissolve among humans. What is the secret of the degree? Not the famous jihad, not the knowledge narrated by many students. The secret was mentioned by the Prophet himself: his devotion to his mother. Uwais refrained from emigrating to meet the Prophet he missed so much - because his old mother needed him. He sacrificed visible glory for hidden obligations, and Allah replaced it with a position announced from above the seven heavens. The ulama called Uwais the leader of the tabi'in in asceticism. His life is poor, his clothes are simple, sometimes he becomes the object of ridicule from people who don't know who he really is. He then died โ according to many reports โ in the ranks of the Muslimin people in the Shiffin War. Uwais' story is a gentle slap to an era that is hungry for recognition. There are people who have no stage, no followers, whose prayers are not covered by anyone - but if they swear an oath in the name of Allah, Allah grants it. Popularity on earth is not directly proportional to position in the sky. And the door to such a position turns out to be very close: birrul walidain - filial piety to parents - and sincerity that no human needs to know.