Musnad Ahmad

Aseer bin Jabir says that once a delegation from Yemen came. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was searching for the rope of his she-camel and kept asking, “Has anyone among you come from ‘Qarn’?” He continued asking until he reached the people of ‘Qarn’ and asked them, “Who are you?” They replied, “We are from ‘Qarn’.” Meanwhile, the halter of the animals slipped from the hand of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) or Sayyiduna Uwais Qarni (may Allah have mercy on him). One of them picked it up and handed it to the other, and they recognized each other. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Uwais.” He asked, “Did you have a mother?” He replied, “Yes.” He asked, “Do you have any marks of smallpox on your body?” He replied, “Yes, but I prayed to Allah and He removed it, and now only a spot the size of a dirham remains near my navel, so that when I see it, I remember my Lord.” Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Pray to Allah for my forgiveness.” He replied, “You are a companion of the Messenger of Allah; you pray for my forgiveness.” Upon this, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘The best of the Tabi‘een will be a man named Uwais, who will have a mother and will have marks of smallpox on his body. When he prays to Allah, Allah will remove the disease from him, leaving only a spot the size of a dirham near his navel. When he sees it, he will remember his Lord.’” Sayyiduna Uwais Qarni (may Allah have mercy on him) prayed for Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)’s forgiveness and disappeared into the crowd; no one knew where he went. Later, he came to Kufa. The narrator says that we used to form a circle and remember Allah with him; he would sit with us. When he spoke, his words affected our hearts more than anyone else’s.