Mukhtasar Muslim

Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) says that I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Among the Tabi‘in, there is a best person whose name is Uwais. He has a mother (meaning, among his relatives, only his mother will be alive) and he will have a whiteness (i.e., a skin condition). You should ask him to pray for you.

Sayyiduna Usayr bin Jabir says that when people came to Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) from Yemen for help (that is, those who came from every country to join the Islamic army for jihad), he would ask them, "Is there anyone among you named Uwais bin Amir?" Until Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) himself came to Uwais and asked, "Is your name Uwais bin Amir?" He replied, "Yes." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, "Are you from the branch of Qarn of the Murad tribe?" He replied, "Yes." He asked, "Did you have leucoderma which has been cured except for a spot the size of a dirham?" He replied, "Yes." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, "Do you have a mother?" He replied, "Yes." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Uwais bin Amir will come to you with the auxiliary army of the people of Yemen. He is from the Murad tribe, from the branch of Qarn. He had leucoderma which has been cured except for a spot the size of a dirham. He has a mother. His condition is such that if he swears by Allah, Allah will fulfill it. So if you are able, ask him to pray for you.' So pray for me." Thus, Uwais prayed for Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) for forgiveness. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, "Where do you intend to go?" He replied, "To Kufa." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Shall I write a letter for you to the governor of Kufa?" He replied, "I prefer to remain among the humble." When the next year came, a person from among the chiefs of Kufa performed Hajj. He met Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who asked him about Uwais. He replied, "I left Uwais in such a state that there were few possessions in his house and he was in straitened circumstances." Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Uwais bin Amir will come to you with the auxiliary army of the people of Yemen. He is from the branch of Qarn of the Murad tribe. He had leucoderma which has been cured except for a spot the size of a dirham. He has a mother with whom he is dutiful. If he swears by Allah, Allah will fulfill it. So if you are able, ask him to pray for you.'" Upon hearing this, that person went to Uwais and said, "Pray for me." Uwais replied, "You have just returned from a righteous journey (i.e., Hajj), so pray for me." Then the person said, "Pray for me." Uwais gave the same reply. Then he asked, "Did you meet Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The person replied, "Yes, I met him." Uwais then prayed for him. At that time, people understood the status of Uwais. He then left from there. Usayr said, "I gave him a cloak to wear. Whenever anyone saw him, they would say, 'Where did Uwais get this cloak from?'"