Sayyed Mohammad Sarwar was born on1924 in Behsud a town about 150 kilometers west of Kabul. There are no records for the month and day of his birth. He opened his eyes in a family that was economically humble, yet socially admired and respected in the community. His father, Sayyed Hasan Reza recognized the academic potential within Sarwar, therefore he motivated him to pursue a life of learning and scholarship. He registered the young boy in school and due to his high learning aptitude he was able to excel on all subject matters. While studying, he continued to help his father with farming chores to support the family’s livelihood.

In the years that followed, his father decided to send Sarwar to Kabul to expand the young man’s educational opportunities. Sarwar spent some years in Kabul and studied literature, theology, logic, and a portion of religious jurisprudence and doctrine (Fiqh and Usul). After some years he returned to his birthplace and built a school that attracted many students. He taught and orated in his community and quickly made a name as a skillful speaker. The community began to refer to him as Waez.

The first time Waez taken to prison was after his initial return from Najaf. When he returned to Kabul people from distant and close villages and cities came to greet their young Ayatollah. His fame grew quickly which made the Afghan monarchs nervous about his potential political role. The king and prime minister of the time, Zahir Shah and Daoud Khan respectively, were aware of the public’s dissatisfaction of the government. They considered scholars such as Waez strong leaders and instigators of organized dissent. Having been faced with revolutionary activities scholars before, they had to do something to disperse the public and suppress Waez’s rise as revolutionary figure. In 1961 the king ordered his arrest and without an official charge or trial and he was sent to the Dehmazang prison. 

Daoud Khan’s harsh tactics to suppress public dissent had reached a tipping point. Fearing public backlash, Zahir Shah removed Daoud Khan from power to diffuse a potential uprising and replaced him with Mohammad Yusuf Khan. To buy public support, Yusuf Khan in consultation with the King freed some of the high profile prisoners. One of these prisoners was Ayatollah Waez. He spent total of three years in prison.

The other two jail terms took place after the Soviet-backed Marxist regime rose to power in 1978. Nur Mohammad Taraki’s (Marxist president) preliminary activities were focused on crushing potential oppositions. He started with religious scholars and the first of such figures arrested was Ayatollah Waez. The Marxist police arrested Waez and without any charge sent him to the infamous Pul-e-Charkhi prison. The arrest and imprisonment of Waez was also a strategic move to gauge public opinion and identify key followers. After about a month due to public outrage Waez was released, but Taraki wanted to use him as a bait to identify his organization and key followers. Waez’s close friends advised him to leave the country to avoid imprisonment or assassination. He refused and in his public sermons declared, that “if my imprisonment or blood is required to ignite the fire of resistance and uprising then I will stay and receive what is planned for me.” Less than a year after his release he was arrested once again in 1979 and his fate remained unknown. It is assumed that he was ta murdered by the Afghan Marxist government or the Soviets.