Fatwa ID: 05716

Answered by: Maulana Sibghat Ullah

Question:

Owais Qarni is called “SAHABI” but he never saw Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H)?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

His name is Uways ibn ‘Aamir ibn Juz’ ibn Maalik al-Qarni al-Muraadi al-Yamaani. He was born and grew up in Yemen. He is not a sahabee but one of the foremost tabieen and righteous friends of Allah.

He lived at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and became Muslim, but he did not meet him. What prevented him from travelling to meet him was the fact that he was preoccupied with taking care of his mother.

Nevertheless, his virtues and piety can be seen in the hadith below:-

Usair b. Jabir reported that when people from Yemen came to help (the Muslim army at the time of jihad) he (Umer) asked them:

Is there amongst you Uwais b. ‘Amir? (He continued finding him out) until he met Uwais. He said: Are you Uwais b., Amir? He said: Yes. Did he say: Are you from the tribe of Qaran? He said: Yes. He (Umar) again said: Did you suffer from leprosy and then you were cured of it but for the space of a dirham? He said: Yes. He (‘Umar) said: Is your mother (living)? He said: Yes. He (‘Umar) said: I heard Allah’s Messenger say: There would come to you Uwais b. Amir with the reinforcement from the people of Yemen. (He would be) from Qaran, (the branch) of Murid. He had been suffering from leprosy from which he was cured but for a spot of a dirham. His treatment with his mother would have been excellent. If he were to take an oath in the name of Allah, He would honour that. And if it is possible for you, then do ask him to beg forgiveness for you (from your Lord). So he (Uwais) begged forgiveness for him. Umar said: Where do you intend to go? He said: To Kufa. He (‘Umar) said: Let me write a letter for you to its governor, whereupon he (Uwais) said: I love to live amongst the poor people. When it was the next year, a person from among the elite (of Kufa) performed Hajj and he met Umar. He asked him about Uwais. He said: I left him in a state with meagre means of sustenance.

(Thereupon) Umar said: I heard Allah’s Messenger as saying: There would come to you Uwais b. ‘Amir, of Qaran, a branch (of the tribe) of Murid, along with the reinforcement of the people of Yemen. He had been suffering from leprosy which would have been cured but for the space of a dirham. His treatment with his mother would have been very kind. If he would take an oath in the name of Allah (for something) He would honour it. Ask him to beg forgiveness for you (from Allah) in case it is possible for you. So he came to Uwais and said.: Beg forgiveness (from Allah) for me. He (Uwais) said: You have just come from a sacred journey (Hajj); you, therefore, ask forgiveness for me. He (the person who had performed Hajj) said: Ask forgiveness for me (from Allah). He (Uwais again) said: You have just come from the sacred journey, so you ask forgiveness for me. (Uwais further) said: Did you meet Umar? He said: Yes. He (Uwais) then begged forgiveness for him (from Allah). So, the people came to know about (the status of religious piety) of Uwais. He went away (from that place). Usair said: His clothing consisted of a mantle, and whosoever saw him said: From where did Uwais get this mantle?[i]

As we can see he is the great friend of Allah and extremely virtuous, but he is not a sahabee as he didn’t see the prophet in his lifetime.

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Maulana Sibghat Ullah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[i] Sahih Muslim, The Book of the Merits of the Companions, Chapter: The Virtues Of Uwais Al-Qarani