Umm al-Aswad was the daughter of A'yan Ibn Sunsun al-Shaybani1 and the sister of Zurarah Ibn A'yan2 She died in 153 A.H.L.

Her Merits

She was a learned and virtuous woman, the first person from the A'yan clan who became a Shi'ah, and eventually all other members of her clan followed her into Shi'ism.

The author of Jami' al-Ruwat introduces her as a transmitter of traditions who has narrated traditions from Imam al-Sadiq ('a).3

Abu Ghalib al-Zurari has written in his letter to his grandson Muhammad Ibn 'Abdullah Ibn Ahmad, when talking about the children of A'yan, as follows, "They had a sister by the name of Umm 'l-Aswad. It has been said that she was the first among them to become Shi'ah by way of Abu Khalid al-Kabuli.4

'Allamah al-Hilli has written, "Umm al-Aswad Bint A'yan was a wise woman." 'Ali Ibn Ahmad al-'Aqiqi has said, "She closed Zurarah's eyes after his death."5

'Allamah Mamqani has listed her among the transmitters of traditions. He then concludes from the words of 'Allamah al-Hilli and Abu Ghalib that, "One can at least conclude from the words of 'Allamah that Umm al-Aswad was a good person.6

Al-Shahid al-Thani7 counts the children of A'yan among the narrators of traditions from Imam al-Sadiq and writes, "If the name of their sister Umm'l­Aswad is added to them, their number becomes ten."8 From this sentence it may be concluded that she was a scholar and narrator of traditions, and that she narrated traditions from Imam al-Sadiq ('a). Mirza Astarabadi has said, "Umm al-Aswad Bint A'yan was a wise woman." Ibn Dawud al-Hilli9 has said something similar to 'Allamah al-Hilli about Umm 'l-Aswad.10

• 1. A'yan Ibn Sunsun al-Halif is also known as Payman 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umru al-Samin Ibn As 'ad Ibn Hamam Ibn Murrah Ibn Dhuhal Ibn Shayban, and that is why he is also called al-Shaybani. A'yan means 'the large-eyed'. In the book of Rijal authored by Bahr al-'Ulum, it is written, The people of A'yan were the biggest Shi'ah family in al­ Kufah. They were superior in their status, position, ancestry, and lifespan. This was true to such an extent that some of their elders were alive from the time of Imam al­Sajjad 'Ali Ibn al-Husayn ('a) until the beginning of the minor occultation (of Imam al­Mahdi). Among them were religious authorities, jurisprudents, people who recited the Qur'an, literary men, and transmitters of traditions. (A'yan al-Shi'ah, vol. 2, p. 89).
• 2. Zurarah Ibn A'yan Abu al-Hasan was one of the greatest Shi'ah religious authorities of his time. He was a jurisprudent, speaker, poet, literary man, and reciter of the Qur'an. Ibn Babawayh has said that he saw a book on determinism and free will from him. Zurarah passed away in the year 150 A.H. (Rijal al-Najjashi, p. 125).
• 3. Jami' al-Ruwat, vol. 2, p. 455.
• 4. Risalah by Abu Ghalib al-Zarari, p. 231.
• 5. Al-Khulasah, p. 191.
• 6. Tanqih al-Maqal, vol. 3, p. 70.
• 7. Shahid Zayn al-Din Ibn 'Ali Ibn Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Jamal al-Din Ibn Taqi al­Din Ibn Salih (911-965 A.H.L) was one of the great scholars in the Imamiyyah Jurisprudence. He was the first Shi'ah scholar to write about the science of dirayah. He was the author of many books the most famous of which was al-Rawda al-Bahiyyah, an exegesis on the book allama'ah al-Dimashqiyyah.
• 8. Al-Dirayah, p. 137.
• 9. Shaykh Taqi al-Din Hasan Ibn 'Ali Ibn Dawud al-Hilli, a learned virtuous scholar and researcher, was the student of the researcher Najm al-Din al-Hilli.
• 10. Rijal Ibn Dawud, p. 392.