Abu l-Aswad al-Du'ali: Difference between revisions

  | Companion of = Imam 'Ali (a)

'''Abū l-Aswad al-Duʾalī''' (Arabic: {{ia|أبوالأسْوَد الدُؤَلی}}) was a well-known poet and [[Tabi'un|Tabi'i]] who is mostly known as a companion of [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] and the founder of [[nahw]] (Arabic grammar). Very little is known about his life, which is mixed with historical contradictions. After the beginning of the [[Battle of Jamal]] when [['A'isha]] was headed towards [[Basra]], Abu l-Aswad and another person were sent by [['Uthman b. Hunayf]] to make negotiations with 'A'isha.

Abu l-Aswad's companionship of Imam 'Ali (a), his participation in the Battle of Jamal, and pieces of poems he composed in the praise or elegy of Imam 'Ali (a) and [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] led to the widespread view that he was fond of 'Ali (a).

Ẓālim b. 'Amr b. Sufyān (Arabic: {{ia|ظالِم بن عَمْرو بن سُفْیان}}), known as Abu l-Aswad, was born in the period of [[Jahiliyya]]. However, he is quoted as saying that he was born in the year in which the [[Conquest of Mecca]] occurred.

He was from the clan of Banu Kinana Mudar, which was known in Basra as "Ahl al-'Aliya" (the Highlanders or Medinan army regiment of Basra). His tribe was known as "Du'al". People of [[Hijaz]] pronounce "Du'al" as "Dayli". People of his tribe lived in Hijaz near the city of [[Mecca]]. They are mentioned in some events of the early years of Islam in the period of [[the Prophet (s)]].

Abu l-Aswad had two sons, 'Ata' and Abu Harb. 'Ata' had no offspring, but Abu Harb, who was a poet and a scholar of nahw and was appointed by [[Hajjaj b. Yusuf]] as a ruler of a region, had an offspring.

Moreover, it is said that he lived for 85, or even 100 years, and given the widely accepted view about the year of his death, he could not have met [[the Prophet (s)]].

==The Period of Imam 'Ali's (a) Caliphate==

Abu l-Aswad accompanied [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] in the [[Battle of Jamal]]. When [['A'isha]] headed towards [[Basra]], Abu l-Aswad and someone else were commissioned by [['Uthman b. Hunayf]] to negotiate with her. In these negotiations, Abu l-Aswad was a little tough on 'A'isha.

In the [[Battle of Siffin]], at the command of Imam 'Ali (a), [[Ibn 'Abbas]] ordered Abu l-Aswad to mobilize the forces, then he departed to join the Imam (a), and appointed Abu l-Aswad as his successor in [[Basra]] to be the [[imam]] of [[congregational prayers]] and serve as a judge, and appointed [[Ziyad b. Abih]] as the supervisor of bureaucratical affairs and taxes. During this period, they were hostile to each other, leading Abu l-Aswad to compose libels against Ziyad.

On one account, which is not reliable, in the Battle of Siffin, Imam 'Ali (a) wanted to choose Abu l-Aswad for [[Arbitration]]. After the battle, Ibn 'Abbas returned to Basra, and when [[Khawarij]] began their seditions, he—as the ruler of Basra—sent Abu l-Aswad to combat them. After a while, Abu l-Aswad accused Ibn 'Abbas of frauds in the Treasury, as a result of which Imam 'Ali (a) reprimanded Ibn 'Abbas. After this, Ibn 'Abbas left Basra and went to [[Hijaz]]. The attempts by Abu l-Aswad and his tribe to dissuade Ibn 'Abbas from leaving Basra was to no avail. Before leaving the city, Ibn 'Abbas appointed Ziyad b. Abih as his successor. Abu l-Aswad was angry that Ibn 'Abbas did not appoint him as his successor.

Ziyad b. Abih's rule in Basra lasted until a person was sent to Basra by Mu'awiya. His presence in Basra led to conflicts and Ziyad escaped from Dar al-Imara (the House of Emirate). Later in 39/659, he was sent by Imam 'Ali (a) to [[Fars]] where he stayed until the [[martyrdom]] of the Imam (a). During this time, the administration of the city was probably undertaken by Abu l-Aswad al-Du'ali though in a non-official way, or at least, he was busy with his previous tasks.

When the news of the martyrdom of Imam 'Ali (a) and people's allegiance to [[Imam al-Hasan (a)]] was spread in Basra, Abu l-Aswad went on top of the [[minbar]] and said that one of the [[Mariqun]] martyred the [[caliph]]. He called everyone to pledge their allegiance to Hasan b. 'Ali (a). The [[Shi'as]] pledged their allegiance to him, but a group of [['Uthman]]'s advocates refused to do so and fled to Mu'awiya. In the meanwhile, Mu'awiya sent someone to Abu l-Aswad in order to fool him into thinking that Hasan (a) had made a compromise with Mu'awiya, asking him to call people of Basra to pledge their allegiance to Mu'awiya. In an elegy for the martyrdom of Imam 'Ali (a), Abu l-Aswad referred to Mu'awiya as being responsible for the Imam's (a) martyrdom.

In 45/665, Mu'awiya appointed Ziyad b. Abih as the ruler of [[Iraq]]. While Abu l-Aswad was not in good terms with him since a long time ago, he still visited Ziyad frequently and whenever he was offended by him, he composed a poem and reproached him. Moreover, he was not much respected probably because of his associations with Imam 'Ali (a).

There are stories about his relationships with Ziyad and the foundation of the science of [[nahw]]. On some accounts, Abu l-Aswad was tutor of Ziyad's children. It seems that in light of the peace resulted from Ziyad's tyranny in Iraq, Abu l-Aswad was engaged in business or composing romantic poems.

On some accounts, after the martyrdom of [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]], Abu l-Aswad composed some poems in the elegy of the Imam (a) and libeled against [['Abd Allah b. Ziyad]]. According to some reports which are said to be not much reliable, he helped Durra al-Sadaf to retake the head of Imam al-Husayn (a) near [[Aleppo]] and quarreled with [[Khawli]]'s agents. According to some reports, during Ibn Ziyad's rule, Abu l-Aswad still asked him and even one or two of his agents in southern [[Iran]] for help, and as suggested by his poems, he traveled to [[Gundeshapur]], Jay, and [[Isfahan]], although his requests were ignored.

Abu l-Aswad transmitted [[hadiths]] from [['Umar b. al-Khattab]], [[Imam 'Ali (a)]], and [[Abu Dhar al-Ghifari]]. His hadiths were mostly transmitted by his son, Abu Harb, as well as Yayha b. Ya'mur, from the clan of Banu Kinana Mudar, and 'Abd Allah b. Burayda. His reliability in the transmission of hadiths has been confirmed by all sources, in particular the sources of [[rijal]].

===Significance in Kalam===

Abu l-Aswad wrote a monograph in [[kalam]] (Islamic theology). Al-Baghdadi attributed an essay against "Qadaris"—which ironically refers to the [[Mu'tazila]]—to Abu l-Aswad. However, the Mu'tazila themselves have mentioned him among the Mu'tazila as a believer in justice and [[monotheism]].

Abu l-Aswad is mostly known as the founder of the Arabic syntax or grammar ([[nahw]]). He is usually referred to as the person who invented the Arabic diacritic.

Abu l-Aswad was the first person who added diacritics to the [[Qur'an]]. According to Abu l-Faraj al-Isfahani, he was ordered by Ziyad to punctuate the volumes of the Qur'an. He did so, and then wrote some materials about nahw.

Al-Qalqashandi believes that the majority of scholars only attribute the invention of the three main diacritic marks—fatha, kasra, and damma—as well as the mark of [[nunation]] (tanwin) to Abu l-Aswad.

There are some accounts of his knowledge of Arabic poems. [['Abd Allah b. 'Abbas]], himself one of the most knowledgeable people about Arabic poems, asked Abu l-Aswad to introduce the best poem to him. In another case, he commented on the best Arabic poem in the presence of [[Amir al-Mu'minin (a)]]. Al-Yaghmuri quoted Ibn al-A'rabi as saying that Abu l-Aswad was one of the four most eloquent Arabs.

He composed poems in the praise or the elegy of [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] and [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] which led to the widely held belief that he was a passionate supporter of Imam 'Ali (a). According to some accounts, his support of Imam 'Ali (a) was a reason why he was overlooked.