Uways al-Barawi

Sheikh Uways ibn Muhammad al-Barawi was a Somali Islamic scholar who founded the Uwaysiyya Sufi order in East Africa. He was born in Barawa, Somalia and studied in Baghdad. He spread Islamic education throughout Somalia, Tanzania, Comoros and other East African countries through his network of students and scholars. He is considered a major figure in the Islamization of East Africa and is venerated by many East African Muslims.