The Shaykh (may God prolong his glory) informed me, in a mursal transmission from Muhammad ibn Sallam al-Jumahi: Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali came in to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), who tossed to him a note in which was written: "In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. Speech is three things: noun, verb, and particle that comes for a meaning. The noun is that which tells of the thing named; the verb is that which tells of the motion of the thing named; and the particle is that which produces a meaning in something other than itself." Abu al-Aswad said: "O Commander of the Faithful, these are fine words — but what do you command me to do with them? For I do not know what you intended by acquainting me with this." The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: "I have heard in this city of yours much gross solecism, and I wished to lay down a work by which whoever looks into it may distinguish the speech of the Arabs from the speech of these people. So build upon this." Abu al-Aswad said: "May God grant us, through you, success in what is right, O Commander of the Faithful." (al-Fusul al-Mukhtara, vol. 1, p. 91)
The narrator says: The founding of the science of grammar (nahw) came about in this way: the Commander of the Faithful (AS) summoned Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali and wrote on a sheet of paper: "In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. Speech is of three kinds: noun, verb, and particle. The noun gives news of the thing named; the verb tells of the motion of the thing named; and the particle has no meaning of its own." Then he cast this sheet before Abu al-Aswad. Abu al-Aswad read it and said: "These are fine words; now, what do you expect of me?" The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: "I have heard that in the various regions many modes of speech have spread, many of which are erroneous. I would like you to compose a book such that whoever reads it will understand the correct speech of the Arabs." Abu al-Aswad said: "May God, through you, grant me success in accomplishing the task rightly."
(I say: Zalim ibn Amr ibn Sufyan, famous as Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali, was one of the Successors (Tabi'un), a companion of Ali (AS), the founder of the science of grammar, and a poet of early Islam. He was present at the battles of the Camel, Siffin, and Nahrawan. During the caliphate of Ali (AS), Abu al-Aswad was judge of Basra and secretary to Ibn Abbas. After Ibn Abbas left the governorship of Basra, and following the appointment of Ziyad ibn Abih by Ali (AS) to the governance of Fars and Kerman, in the last year of Ali's caliphate Abu al-Aswad was appointed governor of Basra. It appears that it was after a dispute with Abu al-Aswad over the public treasury of Basra that Ibn Abbas withdrew in anger and fled toward the Hijaz with a portion of the treasury. Al-Tabari says: Abu al-Aswad brought Ibn Abbas's flight to the Imam's attention, and the Imam, in reply to Abu al-Aswad's letter, asked him to keep him informed of events in the region. The Imam said: One such as you must indeed be a well-wisher of the Imam and the community, a trustworthy keeper and a guide to the truth. I have written to your companion about what you wrote concerning his conduct, but I did not say that you had written it. Keep me informed of what happens there and of whatever, upon consideration, serves the good of the community, for you are worthy of this task and it is your binding duty. Peace.)
Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali has been given the title "Malik al-Nahw" (King of Grammar). At the direction of Ali (AS) he founded the science of grammar. Al-Dhahabi says that when Abu al-Aswad brought what he had written on grammar before the Imam (AS), the Imam said: "Ma ahsana hadha al-nahw alladhi nahawta" — "How beautifully you have arranged this way (nahw) you have pursued." And it was from this saying of the Imam that this science came to be called the science of nahw.
He was also the first to add the vowel-marks (i'rab) to the Qur'an. According to Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, Ziyad ibn Abih ordered him to add the diacritical points to the codices, and he did so. Abu al-Aswad was an outstanding poet, and his collected poems (diwan) has been published. He composed verses in elegy for Husayn ibn Ali (AS) and in praise of Ali (AS). Ibn Asakir says that Imam Ali (AS), in the battle of Siffin, initially intended to choose Abu al-Aswad for the arbitration. After the martyrdom of Imam Ali (AS), Abu al-Aswad was virtually cast out of the political arena.
In the year 45 AH, when Ziyad ibn Abih became governor of Iraq on behalf of Mu'awiya, Abu al-Aswad was in contact with him; some have regarded him as the tutor of Ziyad's sons, though the two had many disagreements. One day Ziyad asked Abu al-Aswad: "How great is your love for Ali (AS)?" He answered: "At every moment the love of Ali grows in my heart, just as the love of Mu'awiya grows in your heart by the hour. Yes — I love Ali for the sake of God and the Day of Resurrection, and you love Mu'awiya for the sake of this world and its gold and silver."
Abu al-Aswad died in the year 69 AH in the plague of Basra.
Abu al-Aswad transmitted hadith from Umar, Imam Ali (AS), and Abu Dharr al-Ghifari. His son Abu Harb, Yahya ibn Ya'mar, Abd al-Malik ibn Burayda, and others transmitted hadith from him. The sources confirm his reliability (thiqa) in hadith. Abu al-Aswad and his diwan of poetry have throughout history suffered neglect and coldness because of his devotion to Ali (AS). Besides Abu al-Aswad, verses have also been attributed to his daughter. According to some accounts, Mu'awiya sent gifts to Abu al-Aswad, among them sweetmeats. When his daughter's eye fell upon them, she said to her father: "Who has sent these gifts?" Abu al-Aswad said: "Mu'awiya — to deceive us in our religion!" The girl extemporized these verses: "With saffroned honey, O son of Harb, / would you buy from us our lineage and our religion? / God forbid! How could this be, / when our master is the Commander of the Faithful?" — O Mu'awiya, son of Harb! Shall we sell you our lineage, our honor, and our religion for honey laced with saffron?! God forbid! How could that be, when our master is the Commander of the Faithful?)
Al-Zubayr withdrew from the battle after the Commander of the Faithful (AS) reminded him of the words of the Messenger of God (PBUH). His son Abdullah said to him: "O my father, do you abandon us in such a position and turn away from us in such a state?" He said to him: "O my son, Ali reminded me of a matter that time had made me forget." Abdullah said to him: "No — rather you have taken fright at the sword of Ibn Abi Talib." They say that at this al-Zubayr turned back and charged upon the companions of the Commander of the Faithful (AS), and the Commander of the Faithful said: "Make way for the old man, for he has been driven to a corner." And when Ibn Jurmuz brought the head of al-Zubayr and his sword to the Commander of the Faithful (AS), he said to him: "I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: Give the killer of the son of Safiyya the tidings of the Fire." (al-Fusul al-Mukhtara, vol. 1, p. 142)
The narrator says: Before the Battle of the Camel began, Ali (AS) met with Zubayr and reminded him of a saying of the Messenger of God (PBUH). As a result, Zubayr turned away from the battle. At this his son Abdullah said to him: O father! Do you abandon us in such a state? Zubayr said: O my son, truly Ali reminded me of something that time had made me forget! Abdullah said: It is not so; you are fleeing from the sword of the son of Abu Talib! When Zubayr heard this, he turned back and, for show, charged the army of the Commander of the Faithful (AS). At that moment Ali (AS) said: Open the way for him and step aside from the path of his sword; Zubayr has no intention of fighting — he only wants to show that he is no coward. So Zubayr wheeled about in a charge, then withdrew from the field and moved away from the scene of battle. Zubayr fell asleep at a mill, and a man named Ibn Jurmuz attacked him by surprise and killed him, and brought his head and his sword as a gift to the Commander of the Faithful (AS). Ali (AS) wept and said: I heard from the Messenger of God that the killer of the son of Safiyya (that is, Zubayr) is in the Fire!
(I say: This is the most accurate account, although in some reports it is related that the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: The killer and the killed are both in the Fire! Likewise, the Commander of the Faithful said to his killer: You killed Zubayr while he was unaware and asleep! Otherwise, Zubayr was not a champion who would be slain at the hands of someone like you.
As for the words that Ali (AS) spoke to Zubayr before the battle: On the field of the Camel, Ali (AS) called out to Zubayr and said to him: Do you remember that the Prophet (PBUH) said to you: Do you love Ali? You said: He is my brother and my cousin — why should I not love him? The Prophet said: You will soon fight against him, and you will be the wrongdoer against him. Zubayr said: You have reminded me of something that time had made me forget. But upon his return, his son said to him: By God, you fled from the swords of the sons of Abd al-Muttalib, not because of the hadith of the Prophet (PBUH).
Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, the son of the paternal aunt of Ali (AS)
It is related from Abida al-Salmani that he said: I asked Ali (AS) about the sale of slave women who had borne children to their masters. He said: My view and the view of Umar was that they should not be sold, but now my view is that they may be sold. (al-Fusul al-Mukhtara, vol. 1, p. 213)
The narrator says: I asked Ali whether a slave woman who has borne children to her master may be sold. He said: Formerly my view, like Umar's, was that it is not permissible; but now my view has become that it is permissible.
Ibn Abbas said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) would sit among us like one of us, jest with us, and put us at ease. And he said: By God, I could never fill my eyes with the sight of him, out of awe of him (AS). (al-Fusul al-Mukhtara, vol. 1, p. 214)
Ibn Abbas says: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) would sit among us like one of us, exchange pleasantries with us, and show us affection. Yet he possessed such majesty that I could never look into his eyes.