Mosque of Imam al-Awzai; Beirut, Lebanon
Shaykh Abu Amr Abd al-Rahman ibn Amr al-Awzai (707–774) was the chief representative and eponym of the Awzai school of Islamic jurisprudence. Shaykh Awzai was referred to by his tribe "Awza", part of Banu Hamdan. Born in Baalbek, Lebanon in 707, very little of al-Awzai's writings survive, but his style of Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) is preserved in Abu Yusuf's (died 798) book Al-radd ala siyar al-Awzai, in particular his reliance on the "living tradition," or the uninterrupted practice of Muslims handed down from preceding generations. For Shaykh Awzai, this is the true Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (died 632). Shaykh Awzai's school flourished in Syria, the Maghreb, and Muslim Spain but was eventually overcome by the Maliki school of Islamic law in the 9th century. However, given his authority and reputation as a Sunni Imam and pious ancestry, his views retain potential as a source of law and a basis for alternative legal approaches and solutions. He died in 774 and was buried near Beirut, Lebanon, where his tomb is still visited. He is the main saint of Beirut.
Imam al-Awzai has said:
“A fool is one who is blind to what is wrong (evil), though he has insight into what is good.”
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