He was referred to by his nisbah Awzā (الأوزاع), part of Banu Hamdan. The biographer and historian Al-Dhahabi reports that Awzāʿī was from Sindh, and he was a mawali of ʾAwzā tribe in his early life. Very little of al-Awzāʿī's writings survive, but his style of Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) is preserved in Abu Yusuf's book Al-radd ʿala siyar al-Awzāʿī, in particular his reliance on the "living tradition," or the  uninterrupted practice of Muslims handed down from preceding generations.
He was known by his nisbah Awzā (الأوزاع), part of Banu Hamdan. The biographer and historian Al-Dhahabi noted that Awzāʿī originated from Sindh, and he was a mawali of the ʾAwzā tribe in his youth. Very little of al-Awzāʿī's writings remain, but his approach to Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh) is maintained in Abu Yusuf's book Al-radd ʿala siyar al-Awzāʿī, particularly his reliance on the "living tradition," or the uninterrupted practice of Muslims passed down from earlier generations.