East African Pan-Islamic revival owes much debt to the struggles of the Qadiri leader Shaykh Uways bin Muhammad al-Baraawi. Sheikh Uways was another famous scholar that was born in Barawa, as a young teenager, he studied theological science and philosophy. He later on went and studied with eminent scholars and learned Quran, Quranic exegesis, Syntax, and legal pinciples.
He traveled to Baghdad, Makkah, Yemen, North Somalia, all in the pursuit of seeking knowledge. Upon his return to Barawa, he began missionary works throughout East Africa and gained large influence through his movement. Sheikh Uways’ influence can be felt throughout East Africa: From the islands surrounding Zanzibar to as far west as the Eastern Congo and as far south as the Tanganyika. His influence in Zanzibar alone was attributed to his close relationship with the Sultan.
His pan-islamic revivalism linked him with other pan-Islam movements at that time such as the Ottomans, (the father of his teacher, Salman b. Ali was a close associate of Sultan Abdul Hamid II according to Choi Ahmed) and the Zanzibar sultanate.
