الأوزاعي رحمه الله كان صالحًا تقيًا، قال عنه ابن عساكر: كان الأوزاعي كثير العبادة حسن الصلاة، ورعًا، طويل الصمت. وكان رضي الله عنه كثير البكاء والتهجد والابتهال في دعائه، ولم يُرَ قط ضاحكًا يقهقه بل كان غاية ذلك أن يبتسم، وكان لا يبكي في مجلسه، فإذا دخل بيته كان يبكي حتى يشفق عليه.
ويروى أَنَّ امرأة دخلت على امرأة الإمام فرأت الحصير الذي يصلي عليه مبلولاً فقالت: لعل الصبي بال هنا؟ فقالت: هذا أثر دموع الشيخ في سجوده، هكذا يصبح في كل يوم.
كان رحمه الله شديد الورع ما تردد بأن قال لغيلان: “كافر” لأنه كَذَّبَ قول اللهِ تعالى: ﴿قُلِ اللهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ﴾ سورة الرعد / 16. فالذي يعتقد أَنَّ الشرَ ليسَ بِخَلقِ الله هذا كافر ليس بمسلم.
Al-Awza^iyy, may Allah endows his mercy on him was a righteous pious individual, Ibn ^Asakir said about him:
Al-Awza^iyy used to perform lots of acts of worship, pray plenty good, was God-fearing, and used to stay silent for lengthy periods. He, may Allah raise his rank, used to cry a lot and to pray the late night prayer. He was never seen bursting with loud laughter, rather he would smile, he did not use to cry while in session, but when he enters his home he would start crying until the people feel sympathetic towards him.
It was narrated that a woman visited his wife and she saw that the mat which he prayed on was wet, she said: Did the boy urinate here? His wife answered her: These are the traces of the tears of the shaykh while he is prostrating, this is how this mat is every morning (means he cries a lot while he is prostrating during the late night prayer).
He was extremely God-fearing, he did not hesitate to say to Ghaylan: “You are a blasphemer” because he belied Allah’s saying:
﴿قُلِ اللهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ﴾ Verse 16 of Surat ar-Ra^d which means: “Say (O Muhammad) that Allah is the Creator of everything.”
So, the one who believes that evil is not created by Allah is a blasphemer