ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAwn

ʿAbd Allāh bin ʿAwn bin Arṭabān al-Muzanī al-Ḥāfiẓ ( Arabic: عَبْد الَّلَه بِن عَوْن بِن أَرْطَبَان المُزَنِي الحَافِظ) was a ḥadīth transmitter from Baṣra who was a part of a core group of proto-Sunnī intellectuals. From his home base in Baṣra, ʿAbd Allāh bin ʿAwn supported the Umayyads after the death of ʿUthmān, and strongly condemned the stances of both the Muʿtazila and the Qadariyya (not to be confused with the Qadiriyya). Aside from his status as an early intellectual, ʿAbd Allāh bin ʿAwn was regarded as a devoted Muslim, known for his humility and rejection of wealth. There are many anecdotes that highlight his use of lamentation, abstinence from careless speech, fasting, refraining from joking around, and avoidance of doing harm, be it to a king or to a chicken. In addition, he is said to have gone out to Greater Syria (al-Shām) in order to fight against non-Muslims on the Byzantine frontier. This point is notable as it represents the multifaceted nature of the devotion of early Muslims, which contains elements of learning, humility, and warfare. In this regard ʿAbd Allāh bin ʿAwn was similar to ʿAbd Allāh bin Mubārak and Haywa bin Shurayḥ.