Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Ahnaf bin Qais (may Allah have mercy on him) says: We came to Madinah and we wanted to go for Hajj. He says: I went to Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) and Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: Whom do you advise me to stay with and whom do you prefer for me? Because I think that this person, i.e., Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), will be killed. They said: We advise you to stay with Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). I said: Do you really advise me to stay with him and prefer him for me? They said: Yes! He says: Then I went for Hajj until I reached Makkah. While we were there, the news of the killing of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) reached us, and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was also there. I met her and asked: Whose allegiance do you command me to give? She said: The allegiance of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). I said: Do you really command me to give allegiance to him and prefer him for me? She said: Yes! After that, I passed by Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in Madinah and pledged allegiance to him. Then I went to Basra, thinking that the matter had been settled. During this time, someone came to me and said: Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), Talha (may Allah be pleased with him), and Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him) have camped at the edge of Khuraibah. I asked: Why have they come? People said: They have come to you to seek your help regarding the blood of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), because he was killed unjustly. He says: Upon hearing this, I became so anxious that I had never been so anxious before, and I thought that leaving those people with whom is the Mother of the Believers and the disciples of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is a very serious matter, and likewise, fighting against the cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) after these people had already commanded me to pledge allegiance to him is a very difficult thing. He says: When I reached them, they said: We have come to you and we want to seek your help regarding the blood of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). I said: O Mother of the Believers! I ask you by Allah, did I not ask you whom you command me to pledge allegiance to? You said: To Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). And then I asked you: Do you really command me to pledge allegiance to him and prefer him for me? You said: Yes! She said: That is how it was, but Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) has changed. Then I said: O Zubair! O disciple of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! O Talha! I ask you by Allah, did I not ask you whom you command me to pledge allegiance to? You said: To Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). I asked: Do you really command me to pledge allegiance to him and prefer him for me? You said: Yes! They said: Of course, that is how it is, but he has changed. He says: I said: I will not fight with you because with you is the Mother of the Believers and the disciples of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), nor will I fight against the cousin of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) whom you commanded me to pledge allegiance to. Accept one of three things from me! Either open the way of the bridge for me, I will go to the land of the non-Arabs until Allah decides as He wills, or I will go to Makkah and stay there until Allah decides as He wills, or I will separate myself and stay somewhere nearby. They said: We will consult and then send you a message. So they consulted and said: If we open the way of the bridge for him, then whoever wants to leave the army or whoever fails and retreats will go to him, and if we send him to Makkah, then he will keep getting news from the Quraysh of Makkah and will convey your news to them, this is not a correct decision, keep him nearby so that you may have a soft spot for him and also keep an eye on him. So he separated himself at a place called "Jalha" near Basra, and about six thousand men joined him. Then there was a clash, and the first to be killed were Talha and Ka'b bin Masur, who had a copy of the Noble Qur'an with them and were advising both groups until they were martyred between the two groups. And Zubair reached a place called Safwan near Basra, as far from you as Qadisiyyah is. There, a man named Nua'ra from the tribe of Mujashi' met him and asked: O disciple of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Where are you going? Come with me, you are under my guarantee...