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This article examines and proposes a chronology for the extant correspondence of the Syrian legal scholar al-Awzāʿī (d. 157/773-4), arguing that the majority of the letters belong to the Abbasid phase of the scholar's career. The letters are then used to highlight the network in which al-Awzāʿī operated and the role he played for the frontier communities. Finally, these letters shed light on the conditions of life of the Syrian frontier communities and their interaction with the Abbasid authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]