The Battle of the Camel

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said (addressing his pure wives): "Which of you will be the rider of the trained camel, around whom many people will be killed, and who herself, after coming very close to destruction, will finally be saved?"
Imam Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah recorded this hadith; furthermore, Imam al-Hakim recorded it in al-Mustadrak (4612) and declared it sahih (authentic), and Allamah al-Albani also authenticated it in 'Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah' (474).

It is narrated from al-Ahnaf bin Qays (may Allah have mercy on him). Husayn relates that he asked Umar bin Jawan (a man from Banu Tamim): "What was the matter of al-Ahnaf bin Qays's (may Allah have mercy on him) withdrawal (at the time of the Battle of the Camel)?" He said: I heard al-Ahnaf bin Qays (may Allah have mercy on him) say: "I came to Madinah for the purpose of Hajj," then he related the incident like the previous narration.
The narrator says: Some mischief-makers among the people heard this, among them Ibn Jurmuz, Fadalah and Nufay', so they set out in search of him (Sayyiduna al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him) and found him returning from al-Na'r. Then Umayr bin Jurmuz came at him from behind and struck him a light blow (with a spear), while he (Ibn Jurmuz) was riding a weak horse of his. At this Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him), mounted on his horse named "Dhu al-Khimar", launched a counter-attack on him. When Ibn Jurmuz thought that Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) would kill him, he called out to Fadalah and Nufay' for help; so both of them also charged at Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him), and together the two of them martyred him.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Atikah (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), that she said (in condemnation of Ibn Jurmuz on the martyrdom of Sayyiduna al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam, may Allah be pleased with him): "Ibn Jurmuz betrayed, on the field of battle, a fearless and brave horseman who was not one to turn his back and flee from the enemy; O Amr! Had you warned him (before the attack), you would never have found him confused or with trembling hands; may your right hand wither and be paralysed! You have certainly killed a man of faith, so the legal punishment of one who kills deliberately has now become due upon you."
This report consists of the verses spoken by Sayyidah Atikah (may Allah be pleased with her) after the martyrdom of Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him), in which the cowardice and treachery of the killer are made clear.

It is narrated from al-Hakam (may Allah have mercy on him) that when the day of the Battle of the Camel came and the armies had lined up, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) called Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him). He came to him, and he said: "I ask you by Allah Almighty, do you not remember that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said (to you): 'You will surely fight him (Ali) while you are wronging him'?" Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Allah, yes!" (I now remember it), then he said: "This did not come to my mind before standing in this place." So he turned back (from the battlefield). When his companion, namely Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him), saw him (going back), he too followed him. Then Marwan shot him with an arrow which pinned his thigh to the iron of the saddle (that is, the thigh became fixed to the saddle).
And Imam Ahmad bin Mani' (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Abu Ahmad narrated to us, from Abu Isra'il, this report with the same chain.

It is narrated from Abd al-Salam (may Allah have mercy on him), a man from the tribe of Hayyah, that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) met Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) in private on the day of the Battle of the Camel and said to him: "I ask you by Allah Almighty, what did you hear the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say at the time when you were holding my hand and twisting it in the saqifah (shelter) of Banu so-and-so: 'You will surely fight him (Ali) while you are wronging him at that time, and then he will surely be given victory over you'?" Hearing this, Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) acknowledged it and said: "Yes, I did hear this saying of the Prophet; now I will certainly not fight you."
Imam Ishaq bin Rahwayh related this report in his Musnad, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy); furthermore, Imam al-Hakim also declared it sahih (authentic) in "al-Mustadrak".

It is narrated from Abu al-Duha (may Allah have mercy on him) that Sayyiduna Sulayman bin Surad (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna al-Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both): "Present my excuse before the Commander of the Believers (Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him) (as to why I could not support him in the Battle of the Camel)." At this Sayyiduna al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "Indeed, I saw him on the day of the Battle of the Camel clinging to me and saying (in extreme grief): 'Would that I had died so many years before this event.'"
Imam Shu'bah (may Allah have mercy on him) relates: Then I met Mansur bin al-Mu'tamir, and he said (expressing surprise at this report): "What does that one-eyed man (meaning Abu Awn) know (of what the real situation was at that time)?"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sulayman bin Surad (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I came to Sayyiduna al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Present an apology on my behalf before the Commander of the Believers (Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him) that I could not be present at that battle." Sayyiduna al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What will you do with this apology? I myself saw him clinging to me and saying: O Hasan! Would that I had died twenty years before this event."
This report is from the Musnad of al-Harith, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

It is narrated from Jumay' bin Umayr that his mother and his maternal aunt went to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her); then he narrated the whole hadith. The two women said: "Tell us about Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)." Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "What do you ask me about a man who had placed his hand on the spot of the (blessed body of the) Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) from where his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed soul was taken and came into his hands, and who then wiped that same (blessed) hand over his face?" The two of them asked: "Then why did you go out against him (on the battlefield)?" Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "It was a matter that had been decreed (by divine destiny); now my wish is that I had everything on earth and could give it all as ransom for that (going out)."
Takhrij: Imam Abu Ya'la recorded it in his Musnad [hadith: 4407]; its chain contains the narrator Jumay' bin Umayr, whom the majority of hadith scholars have declared da'if (weak) and an extreme Shi'i, so this report is da'if (weak) in its chain.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was asked: "What prevented you from fighting along with the party you supported on the day of the Battle of the Camel?" He replied: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'A people will come out who will be doomed and will never attain success; a woman will lead them, (yet) that leader of theirs will be in Paradise.'"
Imam al-Bazzar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Muhammad bin Umar and Ahmad bin Mansur narrated to us; they both said: Abu Nu'aym al-Fadl narrated this hadith to us with the same chain; and he said: Abd al-Jabbar alone narrated it.
Also, other hadith scholars narrated it from Ata', from Bilal bin Buqtur, from Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him).

Al-Aswad bin Qays narrates from a man who saw Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) on the day of the Battle of the Camel bringing down horses, when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) called out to him: "O Abu Abdullah!" So he came near until the necks of their two mounts met. Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "I ask you by Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, do you remember the day when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us while I was speaking privately with you, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Are you speaking privately with him? By Allah, he will surely fight you while he is wronging you.'" The narrator says: (Hearing this) Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) struck the face of his mount (turning it around) and went back from there.
The basis of this report is found in the Musnad of Abu Ya'la and other books of sirah, which supports the fact that when Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) was reminded of the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he withdrew from the battle.

It is narrated from Abu Jarw al-Mazini (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: I was present (on the battlefield) when Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) came face to face with each other. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "O Zubayr! I ask you by Allah, did you hear the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'You will surely fight Ali while you are in the wrong (in your position) at that time'?" He replied: "Yes, and this did not come to my mind until I came to stand here in this place." Then he (as soon as he remembered it) went back (from the field).
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded this hadith in his Musnad; furthermore, Imam al-Hakim recorded it in 'al-Mustadrak' and declared it sahih (authentic), and Allamah al-Busiri declared its chain hasan (good) in 'Ithaf al-Khiyarah al-Maharah'.