Sheikh Uways was born in Barawa during the Geledi Sultanate period on the Benadir of Somalia coast, the son of a local religious teacher, al-Hajj Muhammad b. Bashiir, and Fatima b.
[3] Being a devout student of Islam and excelling in piety, the young Sheikh Uways caught the attention of his teacher who then introduced him to the Qadiriyya doctrines and, circa 1870, took him to the birthplace of that tariqah in Baghdad.
On the other hand, the Somali scholar Said Sheikh Samatar claims that Shaykh Uways merely visited al-Zayla'i's tomb and received a symbolic ijazah to preach.
Following Uways return he would visit Mogadishu and this famous story of his meeting with the Abgal Imam Mahmud and Asharaf leaders in the city recorded by Scott Reese.
All of them assisted and participated in this abominable practice until the hearts of the ulama contracted [with anguish] but they were incapable of stopping the custom ...[However], when [the participants in this practice] heard of his arrival in Mogadishu and his presence in the house of the Imam they took counsel in their meeting place and said: Tomorrow, God willing, we will meet in the Friday mosque in Shangani and face Shaykh Uways al-Qadiri so that we may repent before him this abomination.
May God grant us victory and guidance...' And...they abandoned this repulsive practice and other abominations with his blessing.This decision made room for further proselytizing, which in turn increased his influence.
Bearing testament to his mass appeal, Samatar mentions that "nomad and farmer flocked to his community, bringing with them gifts in vast amounts of livestock and farm produce".
Moving north to curb the influence of radical nationalist and puritanical teachings of Salihiya neo-Sufis, Heated poems would be exchanged between the Sayyid and Sheikh Uways.
صل على محمد واله واصرف بهم من كل سوء داهيه من اقتدى محمدا بشرعه لا يقتدى جماعة الشيطانية هم المبيحون دماء العلما والمال والحريم هم إباحيه ويمنعون الدرس للعلوم كالفقه والنحو هم الكراميه بكل شيخ مات كالجيلاني لا يتوسلون كالجناحيه لا يقتدرون خلف من له شعر سيماهم التحليق كالوهابيه ويشترون الجنة بمال في دارنا جهرا هم الكلابيه ويختلون بالحريم للإجا زة كأمهم فذا سفاحيه يتبعون رأيهم لا كتبنا ويدعون النور من بلاسيه ويفعلون النكر في ذكرهم فعلا وقولا يقتضي كفرانيه كاللعب قائلين أألله شكا به جلهم الشماليه لهم ضجيج وأنين وحنيــــــــن وفحيح كالكلاب الناحيه ويكثرون الحلف بالطلاق وينكرون الكلفة الالهيه ضلوا وأضلوا العباد في الثرى برا وبحرا اي من السماليه أليس ذو لب وفهم يغترر بهم ففر عنهم كالدواهيه Give a prayer to Muhammad (Sayyid) and his family and turn, through them, from all evil calamities The ones who has imitated Muhammad (Prophet Muhammad) through his law does not follow the faction of Satan They are the justifiers of [spilling] the blood of the ulama and of wealth and women, they are libertines They prohibit the study of sciences such as law and grammar, they are the repugnant
They follow their own opinions, not our books, and they claim to the light from the faction of Satan And they practice denial at their dhikr, in word and action it requires blasphemy Like their game of saying Is it God?
Then flee from them as from calamities With a long response the Sayyid ended with these sharp words[5] This exchange would lead to takfir or accusations of apostasy from both men and the murder of Uways by the Dervish in 1909.
Sheikh Uways composed numerous religious poems and they were included in the Majumuʿa Qasaʿid fi Madh Sayyid Al-Anbiya (A Collection of Qasidas in praise of the Master of Prophets).
إذا ماشئت تيسير المراد فصل على رسولك خير هادى وقل مستنجدا في كل ناد صلاة الله مانادى المنادى على المختار مولانا الحماد حبيب الله افضل من ترقى وقبره فاق كرسيا ومرقى وكل مواضع الخيرات صدقا يفوح المسك والريحان حقا لقبر محمد نور الفؤاد تنور جميع ارجاء الحبيب - يرى الانوار قاصده بطيب ويلقاه البعيد مع القريب - يعم الال جيران الحبيب بعرف عبيره اهل البلاد Whenever you wish to make easy your objective then give a prayer to your messenger the best of Guides And say, seeking aid in every circle blessings of Allah, as the crier cries on the Chosen, our master the praised