"I feel the breath of the Merciful coming from Yemen."

When the Prophet Muhammad uttered this hadith, was he really talking about Uways al-Qarni, who was described by his neighbors as "a foolish madman and a wild creature"? Even if he wasn’t, he had a strong connection with him as he ordered his companions to "follow his steps."

That is why it is narrated in Farid ud-Din Attar's prose work "Tadhkirat-ul-Awliya" that his companions Omar and Ali set out on a journey to Yemen to search for him and to give him the coat that the prophet entrusted with them.

Uways al-Qarni was a camel shepherd who is said to have become Muslim probably through the Muslims who went to Yemen to teach the new religion. He never met the prophet; yet, it is reported that the prophet said, "The most virtuous of my followers is Uways of Qarni," which made him a well-known figure in the history of Islam. The way that he lived and died became so inspiring for Muslims that he turned into a legendary figure. But more importantly, the alleged bond between him and the prophet was so strong that it turned into a method for which Sufis coined the word "Uwaysi." It is an exceptional way to be initiated into a Sufi order. Unlike the general sheik-disciple relationship, Uwaysis have spiritual masters whom they do not meet in the sensible world. That was the case of al-Qarni. He never met the prophet, but he was taught and guided by the prophet himself.

Apart from the prophet, as Seyyed Hossein Nasr said, Uwaysis were also initiated into the way by Khidir or by the "men of the invisible hierarchy," or in the case of Shiism by the hidden imam, who is the spiritual pole of the universe. When Ibn Arabi said Jesus taught him, he might have meant such a relationship. Or he said this when he talked about how those who inherited their knowledge from various prophets were named after prophets like Isawiyya, an Islamic mystical brotherhood.

This is not a regular initiation process as the disciple does not choose his way for him and instead, he is chosen. It is neither optional nor compulsory and yet it is aspiring for many people, including Omar. The prophet’s companion Attar quoted that when he saw the state of al-Qarni, he wanted to give up the caliphate to become like him.

What was so admiring about him? Attar gives us clues about how he lived. He used to wear a rug made of camel hair. He walked around barefoot, and he preferred not going to settlements or talking to people, so he was alone most of the time. He used to eat simple food like bread or the things he found outside like dry grass. From the outside, his life seemed poor, lonely and hard. However, he is said to have reached such spiritual states that he was considered "rich" and blessed with the company of Allah.

It is narrated that he had such a great love for the prophet that he chose to break off his own teeth to feel his pain when he lost his tooth during a battle. It is the rule of loving: Sharing the feelings of the other, obeying his commandments and following his path. That is what al-Qarni did. He lived such a life that it became an example for the following Sufis. They did dress like him, they left the cities full of distractions to accompany only the prophet and Allah, they ate only the food no one would prefer eating, etc.

These practices became a method for Sufis. As they saw a correlation between such a way of living and high spiritual states. Even though they never ignored the one inevitable condition, which was "guidance by God," they thrived to reach these states by showing endeavor, keeping good thoughts, and trusting God’s promise.

Attar is said to be the first one to talk about Uwaysis. He says these people don’t need a sheik as the prophecy embraces and nurtures them without the meditation of another just as it did al-Qarni. And Attar says this station is so noble and supreme that few people can reach it. So it is important to understand the concept of Uwaysis to comprehend the Sufi method, which requires no relation of causality and instead depends on the grace of Allah.

In this respect, we cannot talk about a method in the literal sense. Because a method is something a person achieves after he fulfills the required duties. However, being blessed with the guidance of the prophet or meeting Khidir is not something a person can achieve through practice. Yet, following the footsteps of the ones who did, a person can hope to be among them as the prophet said: "You will be with those whom you love." That way Sufis based their method on looking at the loved ones of the prophet and tried to imitate their lives hoping to be with them.

That is why Sufis insisted on the method while still believing in the grace of Allah and that is why they held on to the stories like Uways’: Anyone can be granted this highest grace be it a camel shepherd like Uways or a prince like Ibrahim Ibn Adham. It does not matter how they had lived before, they all ended up being poor, homeless, dispossessed and alone. So, this was a retrospective method equalizing a shepherd and a prince at the end.

Because of that, Sufis loved telling, reading and writing the stories of such examples. It was worth trying to resemble them on the outside and hoping to be like them inside.