[1][2] ʿAbd Allāh bin ʿAwn was a mawla of Ibn Barza al-Mazanī, hence the nisba al-Muzanī, and early sources state that his mother was Khurāsānī.
[3] 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).
[4] 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.
[2] This point is notable as it represents the multifaceted nature of the devotion of early Muslims, which contains elements of learning, humility, and warfare.