The Prophet’s Testimony
The hadith in Sahih Muslim is unambiguous: “The best of the tabi’in is a man named Uways.” The Prophet continued, directing his Companions after him:
“If you can get him to pray for you, do so.”
This placed Uways in an extraordinary position: a man who never met the Prophet, yet was singled out by prophetic knowledge as the spiritual summit of his generation. The reason given: complete devotion to his mother, the highest form of practical righteousness expressing itself in the sacrifice of the one thing he most wanted — to see the Prophet.
The Pulled Tooth
The story of the tooth is the defining image of Uways:
At the Battle of Uhud, the Prophet’s tooth was broken. News of this reached Yemen. Uways was so struck with grief and his identification with the Prophet’s pain that he resolved to break one of his own teeth. But which one? He didn’t know. So he pulled out all his teeth — until the news finally clarified which it had been. Then he had already matched the sacrifice.
The act is extreme, and scholars note it represents a pre-legal spiritual intensity — the aching of love without rule to contain it. In Sufi understanding, Uways embodies shawq (yearning) and ghayba (spiritual absence that paradoxically creates presence) raised to their highest register.
The Chain: Uwaysi Transmission
In Sufi silsilas, an “Uwaysi” transmission is one that occurs across distance or across death — without physical meeting. A mystic who receives knowledge directly from the spirit of the Prophet, or from a deceased master, is said to receive “in the manner of Uways.” This became an accepted category of spiritual transmission in Sufi epistemology.
See also: Tasawwuf, Sufi Stations Maqamat, Seerah Abu Bakr, Seerah Umar Ibn Khattab, Sabr, Tawakkul