UWAIS AL-QARNI

This is a story about a man named Uwais Al-Qarni who cared for his mother. Uwais is
the only person in Islamic history who is said to have been accorded the status of sahabi
(companion) even though Uwais could never meet the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) in person.

Uwais al-Qarni was an orphan and poor man from Yemen. He suffered leprosy for a
long time and hadn’t cured yet. He embraced Islam in the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him), but was not able to come to Medina to meet the prophet. Uwais needed
to take care his mother who was blind. Uwais learned that there is a great reward in Islam for
serving parents. So he devoted himself solely to the service of his mother. Uwais always
cared and fulfilled all her mother's requests. One day, his mother said,

"My son, maybe I will not live long enough, please let Mother do the Hajj." This request was
difficult to be fulfilled by Uwais. The journey to the Mecca was far and needed camel to carry
lots of supplies. But Uwais was very poor and couldn’t buy any camels.
So, Uwais decided to buy cow and made a shed in the hill. Uwais practiced to carry the
cow back and forth to the hill every day. Day by day, that cow grew bigger and his strength
became stronger. Do you know why Uwais carried the cow every day? It was because he
practiced to carry his mother on his back.

Eight months passed and the Hajj season started. Uwais became strong to carry his
mother from Yemen to Mecca. He carried her mother on his back and went to Mecca by foot
in order to fulfill his mother’s request. After arrived in Mecca, Uwais carried his mother tawaf
around the Ka’bah. His mother was touched and cried. In front of the Ka’bah, Uwais prayed,
“O Allah, please forgive all my mother’s sins”.
“How about your sins?”, asked her mother.
“With the forgiveness of your sins, You will go to heaven. And your blessing is enough to take
me to the heaven.”, said Uwais.

Because of Uwais’s sincere and loving to his mother. Allah cured of leprosy on his skin.
Only a white circle was left in the middle of his palm. This white circle would be the sign for
Umar and Ali to recognize Uwais. Umar and Ali looked for Uwais because in a hadith,
“Messenger of Allah – sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam – say, ‘Uways ibn Aamir will come to you
with the delegations from Yemen, from Muraad, then from Qaran. He was once afflicted with
leprosy and his skin healed except for a dirham’s area. He has a mother, and he treats her
kindly. If he was to ever swear by Allah (for something) Allah would fulfill his oath. If you
can, request that he ask forgiveness for you.”

From this story, we learn that taking care of your mother and you will get reward more
than you can imagine. Taking care of your parents is not only giving material obligation like
giving them food and clothes but also being a friend for them and make them be a part of your
life, especially in their old age.