Uwais al-Qarani

Uwais ibn Amir al-Qarani belonged to the tabi'in, those who followed Islam's first generation without meeting the Prophet directly, though some counted him honorarily among the companions. He became a loyal companion of Ali and rose to military command in the Rashidun Caliphate. At the Battle of Siffin in 657, leading forces in Ali's army, he was killed and later declared a martyr. His stature within his generation earned him the Arabic honorifics Khayr at-Tabi'in and Sayyid at-Tabi'in fi Zamanah — best and leader of his era's followers. The Uwaysi tradition in Sufism still carries his name fo…