[AI] He used to speak in Kūfah and would speak to us; and when he finished his talk he would say, “Disperse,” and his small group would remain, among whom was a man who spoke words such as I did not hear anyone else speak. I came to love him, so I put him forward and said to my companions, “Do you know a man who used to sit with us like this and that?” A man from the people said, “Yes, I know him—that is Uways al-Qaranī.” I said, “Do you know where he lives?” He said, “Yes.” So I went off with him until I knocked, and he came out to me. I said, “My brother, what keeps you from us?” He said, “Nakedness.” His companions used to mock him and harm him. I said, “Take this cloak and wear it.” He said, “Do not do that, for then they will harm me if they see it on me.” I kept at him until he put it on, then he went out to them and they said, “Who do you think has been tricked out of his cloak like this?” So he came and set it down and said, “Do you see?” Usayr said: I went to the gathering and said, “What do you want from this man, when you have harmed him? A man is naked at one time and clothed at another.” And I took them to task with my tongue severely.
Then it came to pass that the people of Kūfah went as a delegation to ʿUmar, and among those who went was a man who used to mock him. ʿUmar said, “Is there here anyone from the Qaranīs?” That man came, and ʿUmar said: “The Messenger of God ﷺ has said, ‘A man will come to you from Yemen who is called Uways. He will leave behind in Yemen none but a mother of his. He had a whiteness, and he supplicated God and He removed it except for something like the place of a dīnār or a dirham. Whoever among you meets him, let him ask him to seek forgiveness for you.’”
He said: He came to us, and I said, “Where are you from?” He said, “From Yemen.” I said, “What is your name?” He said, “Uways.” I said, “Whom did you leave in Yemen?” He said, “A mother of mine.” I said, “Did you have a whiteness, and you supplicated God and He removed it from you?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “Seek forgiveness for me.” He said, “Would someone like me seek forgiveness for someone like you, Commander of the Faithful?” So he sought forgiveness for him. I said, “You, my brother, do not leave me.” But he slipped away from me.
Then I was informed that he had come to you in Kūfah. That man who used to mock him began to belittle him, saying, “This is not among us, and we do not know him.” ʿUmar said, “Yes indeed.” The man said, “He is a man as though he lowers his own standing.” He said, “Among us, Commander of the Faithful, is a man called Uways whom we mock.” He said, “Catch up—though I do not think you will catch up.” So that man hurried until he entered upon him before he went to his family. Uways said to him, “This is not your habit—what has come over you?” He said, “I heard ʿUmar say such-and-such about you, so seek forgiveness for me, O Uways.” He said, “I will not do so until you give me your pledge that you will not mock me after this, and that you will not mention to anyone what you heard from ʿUmar.” So he sought forgiveness for him.
Usayr said: I came to him and entered upon him one night and said, “My brother, I see you disappear while we are unaware.” He said, “There was nothing in this by which I could make my way among people, and no servant is recompensed except for his deeds.” Then he slipped away from them and went.
كَانَ يُحَدِّثُ بِالْكُوفَةِ فَيُحَدِّثُنَا فَإِذَا فَرَغَ مِنْ حَدِيثِهِ قَالَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَيَبْقَى رَهْطُهُ فِيهِمْ رَجُلٌ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِكَلَامٍ لَا أَسْمَعُ أَحَدًا يَتَكَلَّمُ كَلَامَهُ فَأَحْبَبْتُهُ فَقَدَّمْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ لِأَصْحَابِي هَلْ تَعْرِفُونَ رَجُلًا كَانَ يُجَالِسُنَا كَذَا وَكَذَا؟ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ نَعَمْ أَنَا أَعْرِفُهُ ذَاكَ أُوَيْسٌ الْقَرَنِيُّ قَالَ فَتَعْلَمُ مَنْزِلَهُ؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَانْطَلَقْتُ مَعَهُ حَتَّى ضَرَبْتُ فَخَرَجَ إِلَيَّ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا أَخِي مَا يَحْبِسُكَ عَنَّا؟ قَالَ الْعُرْيُ وَكَانَ أَصْحَابُهُ يَسْخَرُونَ بِهِ ويُؤْذُونَهُ قَالَ قُلْتُ خُذْ هَذَا الْبُرْدَ فَالْبَسْهُ قَالَ لَا تَفْعَلْ فَإِنَّهُمْ إِذًا يُؤْذُونَنِي إِنْ رَأَوْهُ عَلَيَّ فَلَمْ أَزَلْ بِهِ حَتَّى لَبِسَهُ فَخَرَجَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَالُوا مَنْ تَرَوْنَ خُدِعَ عَنْ بُرْدِهِ هَذَا؟ قَالَ فَجَاءَ فَوَضَعَهُ قَالَ أَتَرَى؟ قَالَ أُسَيْرٌ فَأَتَيْتُ الْمَجْلِسَ فَقُلْتُ مَا تُرِيدُونَ مِنْ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ قَدْ آذَيْتُمُوهُ؟ الرَّجُلُ يَعْرَى مَرَّةً وَيُكْسَى مَرَّةً قَالَ فَأَخَذْتُهُمْ بِلِسَانِي أَخْذًا شَدِيدًا قَالَ فَقَضَى أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ وَفَدُوا إِلَى عُمَرَ رَضِيَ فَوَفَدَ رَجُلٌ مِمَّنْ كَانَ يَسْخَرُ بِهِ قَالَ عُمَرُ هَلْ هَاهُنَا أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْقَرَنِيِّينَ؟ قَالَ فَجَاءَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ قَالَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَدْ قَالَ «إِنَّ رَجُلًا يَأْتِيكُمْ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ يُقَالُ لَهُ أُوَيْسٌ لَا يَدَعُ بِالْيَمَنِ غَيْرَ أُمٍّ لَهُ وَقَدْ كَانَ بِهِ بَيَاضٌ فَدَعَا اللَّهَ فَأَذْهَبَهُ إِلَّا مِثْلَ مَوْضِعِ الدِّينَارِ أَوِ الدِّرْهَمِ فَمَنْ لَقِيَهُ مِنْكُمْ فَأْمُرُوهُ فَلْيَسْتَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ» قَالَ فَقَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا قَالَ قُلْتُ مِنْ أَيْنَ؟ قَالَ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ قَالَ قُلْتُ مَا اسْمُكَ؟ قَالَ أُوَيْسٌ قَالَ فَمَنْ تَرَكْتَ بِالْيَمَنِ؟ قَالَ أُمًّا لِي قَالَ أَكَانَ بِكَ بَيَاضٌ فَدَعَوْتَ اللَّهَ فَأَذْهَبَهُ عَنْكَ؟ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ اسْتَغْفِرْ لِي قَالَ أَوَيَسْتَغْفِرُ مِثْلِي لِمِثْلِكَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ؟ قَالَ فَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُ قَالَ قُلْتُ أَنْتَ يَا أَخِي لَا تُفَارِقُنِي قَالَ فَأَمْلَسَ مِنِّي قَالَ فَأُنْبِئْتُ أَنَّهُ قَدِمَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْكُوفَةَ قَالَ فَجَعَلَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ الَّذِي يَسْخَرُ بِهِ يُحَقِّرُهُ قَالَ يَقُولُ مَا هَذَا فِينَا وَلَا نَعْرِفُهُ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ بَلَى فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ إِنَّهُ رَجُلٌ كَأَنَّهُ يَضُعُ شَأْنَهُ فَقَالَ فِينَا يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَجُلٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ أُوَيْسٌ نَسْخَرُ بِهِ قَالَ أَدْرِكْ وَلَا أَرَاكَ تُدْرِكُ قَالَ فَأَقْبَلَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ حَتَّى دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَهْلَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ أُوَيْسٌ مَا هَذِهِ [278] بِعَادَتِكَ فَمَا بَدَا لَكَ؟ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ يَقُولُ فِيكَ كَذَا فَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِي يَا أُوَيْسُ قَالَ لَا أَفْعَلُ حَتَّى تَجْعَلَ لِي عَلَيْكَ أَنْ لَا تَسْخَرَ بِي فِيمَا بَعْدُ وَأَنْ لَا تَذْكُرَ الَّذِي سَمِعْتَهُ مِنْ عُمَرَ إِلَى أَحَدٍ قَالَ فَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُ قَالَ أُسَيْرٌ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ لَيْلَةً فَقُلْتُ يَا أَخِي أَرَاكَ تَغِيبُ وَنَحْنُ لَا نَشْعُرُ قَالَ مَا كَانَ فِي هَذَا مَا أَتَبَلَّغُ بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ وَمَا يُجْزَى كُلُّ عَبْدٍ إِلَّا بِعَمَلِهِ قَالَ ثُمَّ أَمْلَسَ مِنْهُمْ فَذَهَبَ
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