The journey of Aishah, Ali, Talhah and al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them)

Asim bin Kulayb al-Jarmi said: My honored father narrated: We besieged Tawwaj (a city), and the commander of our army was Sayyiduna Mujashi' bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) of the tribe of Banu Sulaym. When we had conquered the city, I was wearing a worn-out shirt, so I went to those Persian dead whom we had put to the sword. I took off the shirt of one of the dead, which had marks of blood on it. I washed it between stones, rubbed it hard until it was thoroughly clean, then put it on and went to the settlement. I took a needle and thread from the spoils and stitched my torn shirt. Mujashi' bin Mas'ud stood up and said: O people, do not embezzle anything. Whoever embezzles will bring it on the Day of Resurrection, even if it is only a needle. So I took off the shirt and began unpicking my own shirt, until, by Allah, my son, I began tearing my own shirt so that the thread (from the spoils) would not break. Then I took the needle and the shirt to the spoils and put these things back. Then I saw people in this world embezzling many wasqs at a time, and when I said to them: What is this? they would answer: Our share of the spoils comes to even more than this. Asim said: My revered father saw a dream when he had gone to the siege of Tawwaj in the time of the caliphate of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). When my father saw a dream, he saw it very clearly. My father had also lived in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He saw in the dream a sick man, with people quarreling near him, their hands rising toward one another and their voices growing loud. Near them sat a woman dressed in green, and it seemed that if she wished she could reconcile them. Meanwhile a man stands up, turns over the lining of his cloak, and says: O Muslims, has your Islam grown worn out, while this is the shirt of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), which has not yet grown old? Meanwhile another man stood up, seized one cover of the Noble Qur'an and shook it, so that the leaves of the Noble Qur'an began to scatter. Asim said: My father related this dream to those who interpret dreams, but no one could tell its interpretation; rather, those who interpret would become alarmed on hearing the dream. Asim said: My father said: I came to Basrah and saw the people preparing an army. I asked: What has happened to them? The people told me: News has reached these people that some people have gone to Sayyiduna Uthman (to stir up trouble against him), and now these (people of Basrah) are going to help Sayyiduna Uthman. Then Ibn Amir stood up and said: The Commander of the Faithful has made peace, and the force that went to him has turned back. (On hearing this) the people of Basrah also returned to their homes. After this, the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Uthman plunged them into severe grief. I have never before seen so many old men weeping so much that their beards were wet with tears. Then only a short time passed before Sayyiduna al-Zubayr and Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with them both) came to Basrah, and then, a little later, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came and stopped at Dhu Qar (the name of a place). Two elders of the tribe said to me: Come, let us go to him (Ali, may Allah be pleased with him) and see what he calls to and what position he has come with. So we set out and advanced toward them. When we came near them, their groups came into our view. Suddenly our gaze fell on a strong, sturdy young man who was coming out of the camp (Al-Ala said: I think he said: on a mule). When I saw him, he closely resembled the woman I had seen in the dream sitting by the sick man. I said to my companions: If the woman I saw in the dream sitting at the sick man's head has a brother, then this is her brother. One of the two elders who were with me said: What do you want with this man? And he nudged me with his elbow. The young man heard our talk and said: What are you saying? One of my companions said: He said nothing; go on your way. But the young man insisted: Tell me what you were saying. So I told him my dream. The young man said: You saw this dream? Then he became alarmed, and in his alarm he kept saying: You saw this dream? You saw this dream? He kept saying this until his voice, growing more distant from us, faded away. I asked someone: Who was this person who met us? He answered: Muhammad bin Abi Bakr. Asim's revered father said: Then we recognized that the woman (whom I had seen in the dream) was Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). He said: When I reached the camp, I came to the shrewdest of the Arabs, meaning Sayyiduna Ali. By Allah, he went into the genealogy of my people until I began to say: By Allah, he knows them better than I do. Then he said: Are not the Banu Rasib in Basrah more numerous than the Banu Qudamah? I said: Yes. He said: Are you the chief of your people? I said: No; I am obeyed among them, but there is another who is a greater chief and more obeyed among them than I am. He said: Who is the chief of the Banu Rasib? I said: So-and-so. He said: And the chief of the Banu Qudamah? I said: So-and-so, another man. He said: Will you deliver two letters from me to them? I said: Yes. He said: Will you not pledge allegiance? So the two elders who were with me pledged allegiance. Some people who were with him raised a clamor. My father gestured with his hand, closing it and moving it, as if to say: There was a lightness in them. They began saying: Pledge allegiance, pledge allegiance! And prostration had eaten away at their faces. Ali said to the people: Leave the man alone. My father said: My people have sent me only as a scout, and I shall report to them what I have seen. If they pledge allegiance to you, I will pledge allegiance to you, and if they keep away from you, I will keep away from you. Ali said: What do you think: if your people sent you as a scout and you saw a meadow and a pool, and you said: My people, to the pasture, to the pasture! and they refused, would you not go to the pasture yourself? So I took hold of one of his fingers and said: We pledge allegiance to you on condition that we obey you so long as you obey Allah; and if you disobey Him, you have no right to obedience from us. He said: Yes, drawing out his voice with it. So I struck my hand upon his. Then he turned to Muhammad bin Hatib (may Allah be pleased with him), who was at one side of the people, and said: When you go to your people in Basrah, deliver my letters and my words to them. Muhammad moved over to him and said: When I come to my people, they will say: What does your companion say about Uthman? Those around him reviled Uthman. I saw Ali's forehead sweating out of dislike for what they were saying. Muhammad said: O people, stop; by Allah, it is not you I am asking, nor am I asking about you. Ali said: Tell them that my word about Uthman is the best of words: Uthman was among those who believed and did righteous deeds, then feared Allah and believed, then feared Allah and did good; and Allah loves those who do good. My father said: I had not left when the people of Kufah came to Ali. They began meeting me and saying: Do you think our brothers from among the people of Basrah will fight us? They would laugh and marvel, then say: By Allah, if we meet, we shall give each other what is right. It seemed they thought they would not fight one another. I set out with Ali's letter. As for one of the two men to whom he had written, he accepted the letter and answered it. I was directed to the other, but he hid himself; had they said "Kulayb," he would not have given me permission. I handed him the letter and said: This is Ali's letter. I told him that I had told Ali that he was the chief of his people. But he refused to accept the letter and said: I have no need of chieftainship today. Your chiefs today are only like filth, or the lowly, or the pretenders. And he said: Tell him: I have no need of that today. And he refused to answer him. By Allah, I had not returned to Ali when the two armies had drawn close, and their slaves traded insults, and the Qur'an reciters who were with Ali mounted when the people began thrusting at one another. I did not reach Ali until the people had finished their fighting. I went in to al-Ashtar, who had wounds. (Asim said: There was kinship between us and him through the women.) When he looked at my father, while the house was full of his companions, he said: O Kulayb, you know Basrah better than we do, so go and buy me the finest camel we can find there. So I bought from a headman of Mahrah his camel for five hundred. He said: Take it to Aishah and say: Your son Malik sends you greetings and says: Take this camel and travel on it in place of your camel. She said: May Allah not give him peace! He is no son of mine. And she refused to accept it. I returned to him and told him what she had said. He sat up straight, bared his forearm, and said: Aishah blames me over the death that kills! I came forward among a motley band from Madhhij, and there was Ibn Attab, who had dismounted, and he grappled with me. He said: Kill me and Malik! So I struck him and he fell flat. Then he sprang at Ibn al-Zubayr, who said: Kill me and Malik! And I would not have liked him to have said: Kill me and al-Ashtar, even if every woman of Madhhij had borne a son in return. My father said: I took a jab at that in an unguarded moment; I said: What good would it do you, when you say that every woman of Madhhij should bear a son? Then my father drew near him and said: Commend me to the governor of Basrah, for I shall be staying on after you. He said: If the governor of Basrah saw you, he would honor you. It was as if he thought that he himself was the governor. My father left him, and a man met him and said: The Commander of the Faithful stood up a little while ago to give a sermon; he has appointed Ibn Abbas over the people of Basrah, and he says that he will march to Syria on such-and-such a day. My father went back and told al-Ashtar. He said to my father: Did you hear him say it? My father said: No. So he rebuked him and said: Sit down; this is falsehood. I had not stayed long before a man came and gave him the same report as mine. He said: Did you hear that? He said: No. So he rebuked him, less harshly than he had rebuked me, and he glanced at me while I was at the side of the people, as if to say: This man has brought the same as your report. I had not stayed long before Attab al-Taghlibi came, with his sword swinging or shaking on his neck, and said: This is your Commander of the Faithful! He has appointed his cousin over Basrah, and he says that he will march to Syria on such-and-such a day. Al-Ashtar said to him: Did you hear him, O one-eyed man? He said: Yes, by Allah, I heard it with these two ears of mine. He smiled a smile that bared his teeth and said: Then we do not know why we killed the old man in Madinah! Then he said to his men of Madhhij: Get up and mount. So he mounted, and I think that on that day he had no one in mind except Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). Ali resolved to send cavalry to fight him. Then he wrote to him: What kept me from appointing you was not that you are unfit for it; rather, I wished to meet the people of Syria, who are your people, and I wished to seek support from you against them. And he called out to the people to march. Al-Ashtar stayed until the first of the people caught up with him. He had fixed Monday for them, as far as I think; but when al-Ashtar did what he did, he called out to the people to march before that.

Al-A'mash reported from a man, whose name he also mentioned, that I was present at the Battle of the Camel. Whenever I enter the house of al-Walid, the Day of the Camel comes to my mind, the day swords were striking helmets. I saw Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) raising his sword and advancing, striking with it until it bent, then he would come back and say: Do not blame me, blame this; then he would go back and straighten it.

It is narrated from Maysarah Abu Jamilah, who said: The first day the Khawarij spoke out was the Day of the Camel. They said: What makes their blood lawful for us, while their children and wealth are forbidden to us? Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The dependents are upon my chest and throat (that is, the responsibility for them is on me), and for you there is 500 dirhams each from the spoils, which will make you free of need of the dependents.

It is narrated from Hurayth bin Mukhash that on the Day of the Battle of the Camel, the banner of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was black, and the banner of his opponents was the camel.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said to a man: What has become of your mother? He said: She has died. Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Soon you will fight her. The man was greatly astonished, until Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) went out (for the Battle of the Camel).

It is reported from al-Sha'bi that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) divided the inheritance of those who died on the day of the Battle of the Camel according to the division of the Muslims' shares: for the wife an eighth; he gave the daughter her share, the son his share, and the mother whatever share was due to her.

It is narrated from Abu al-Bakhtari that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about the people of the Camel. He said: It was said to him: Were they polytheists? Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) answered: No! It was from polytheism that they fled. Then it was said: Were they hypocrites? He said: No, the hypocrites remember Allah only a little. Then it was said: Then who were they? Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: They were our brothers who rebelled against us.

It is narrated from Shaqiq bin Salamah that during the Battle of the Camel, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) neither took anyone captive nor killed any wounded person.

It is narrated from Abd Khayr that in the Battle of the Camel (after winning), Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) neither took any captive nor took a fifth. The people said: Will you not divide their wealth into five parts? Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Here is Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her); consult her. The people said: That is all there is to it, that is all there is to it.

Abdullah bin Ubayd bin Umayr reports that al-Ashtar and Sayyiduna Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) came face to face (in the Battle of the Camel). Ibn al-Zubayr said: I had not landed even one blow on al-Ashtar before he landed five or six on me and brought me down by my foot. Then he said: By Allah, were it not for your kinship with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I would not leave a single limb of yours intact. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), seeing this scene, cried out: Alas, Asma! When al-Ashtar had gone away, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) gave ten thousand dirhams to the person who came and gave her the good news that Abdullah bin al-Zubayr was alive.

Abdullah bin Muhammad said: My honored father informed me that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said on the day of the Battle of the Camel: We shall treat these people kindly on account of the testimony 'La ilaha illallah' (There is no god but Allah), and we shall make forefathers the heirs of sons.

Thabit bin Ubayd reports: I heard Abu Ja'far saying that those who took part in the Battle of the Camel did not commit disbelief.

It is reported from Amr bin Murrah that I heard Suwayd bin al-Harith saying: On the day of the Battle of the Camel we saw that our spears and theirs were so thrust into one another that if people wished, they could have walked on them. Some people were raising the cry 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), and others were raising the cry 'Subhan Allah, Allahu Akbar' (Glory be to Allah, Allah is the Greatest), and words like these; there is no doubt in this. I wish I had not taken part in this battle.

And Abdullah bin Salamah used to say: It does not please me that I did not take part in the Battle of the Camel. I would love to have been present at every occasion at which Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was present.

Qays reports that on the day of the Battle of the Camel, Marwan bin al-Hakam shot an arrow into the knee of Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him). Blood began to flow from it. When they all stopped it, it would stop, and when they left it, the blood would flow again. So Sayyiduna Talhah said: Leave it. When the people tried to close the mouth of the wound, the knee swelled up. Sayyiduna Talhah said: Leave it; this arrow was from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. Then he passed away. We buried him at one side of al-Kalla (a market on the riverbank). One of his family saw him in a dream saying: Will you not rescue me from the water? I have drowned in the water. He said these words three times. His grave was dug open and he had turned green, like chard (a vegetable). The people removed the water from him and then took him out from there, and the part of his beard and face that had touched the ground had been eaten by the earth. They bought for him one of the houses of the family of Abu Bakrah for ten thousand dirhams, and buried Sayyiduna Talhah in it.

It is narrated from Qays that when Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reached a water spring of the Banu Amir, the dogs began to bark. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: Which spring is this? The people told her: It is the spring of al-Haw'ab. So she stopped and said: I must go back. Sayyiduna Talhah and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) said to her: Wait, may Allah have mercy on you. You should go forward; the Muslims will see you, and Allah Almighty will set things right among them. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I must go back. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): one day he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us: "How will it be with one of you when the dogs of the spring of al-Haw'ab bark at her?"

It is narrated from Qays that Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), when close to death, said: Bury me with the pure wives, for after him (peace and blessings be upon him) I adopted a course (I went out for fighting).

Sa'd bin Ibrahim reports from his father that news reached Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) was saying: I pledged allegiance while a sword was at the back of my neck. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) to verify this news with the people. Sayyiduna Usamah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: As for a sword at the back of his neck, no; but he did pledge allegiance unwillingly. The people rushed at him so that they nearly killed him. The narrator said: Sayyiduna Suhayb (may Allah be pleased with him) came out while I was at his side. He looked at me and said: I thought that Umm Awf was heading for ruin.

It is narrated from Abu Ja'far that on the day of the Battle of the Camel, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions were weeping over Sayyiduna Talhah and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both).

It is narrated from Abu Nadrah that the people of the tribe of Rabi'ah spoke with Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) in the mosque of Banu Salamah and said: We were at the very throat of the enemy when the news reached us that you had pledged allegiance to this man (Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him), and now you are fighting him; and they said things of this kind. Sayyiduna Talhah said: I was taken into a palm garden and a sword was placed on my neck, then it was said: Pledge allegiance, or else we will kill you. So I pledged allegiance, and I knew that it was a pledge of misguidance.

Al-Taymi said that al-Walid bin Abdul Malik said: A hypocrite from among the hypocrites of the people of Iraq, Jabalah bin Hakim, said to Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him): You have already pledged allegiance (so why this opposition)? Sayyiduna al-Zubayr said: A sword was at the back of my neck, then it was said to me: Pledge allegiance, or else we will kill you. So I pledged allegiance.

It is narrated from Umm Rashid, who said: I was with Sayyidah Umm Hani (may Allah be pleased with her) when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came to her. Umm Hani invited him to a meal. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: How is it that I do not see barakah (a goat) with you? Umm Hani said: Glory be to Allah! Of course; by Allah, there is barakah (blessing) with us. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I mean a goat. I went down and met two men on the stairs. I heard one of them saying to the other: Our hands have pledged allegiance, but not our hearts. Umm Rashid said: Who are these? The people answered: Sayyiduna Talhah and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both). I heard one of them saying to the other: Our hands have pledged allegiance, but not our hearts. So Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) recited this verse: "Whoever breaks his pledge, its burden will be on him alone; and whoever fulfills the covenant made with Allah, Allah will give him a great reward." [Al-Fath: 10]

It is narrated from Abd Khayr that during the Battle of the Camel, a tent was pitched between the two armies for three days. Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyiduna Talhah and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them) would come there and talk about whatever Allah willed. When the third day came, after midday, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) raised one side of the tent and ordered fighting. Then we began walking toward one another and thrusting spears at one another, until if a man had wanted to walk on those spears, he could have walked on them. Then we took up swords, and I can liken them to nothing except the house of al-Walid.

It is narrated from Abd Khayr that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said on the day of the Battle of the Camel: Do not pursue one who flees, do not kill the wounded, and whoever lays down his weapon is safe.

It is narrated from Hujr bin Anbas that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) gave his companions in Basrah 500 dirhams each.

It is narrated from Abu al-Bakhtari that when the people of the Camel (the army of Sayyidah Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her) had been defeated, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Let no one seek anyone outside the camp (that is, let him not pursue those who were defeated). Whatever mount or weapon has been found here is yours; but no umm walad is for you (that is, no slave woman is for you). The inheritances will be divided according to the shares fixed by Allah Almighty, and a woman whose husband has died shall complete her waiting period of four months and ten days (like a free woman). The men of his army said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): O Commander of the Faithful, their blood is lawful for us, but their women are not lawful for us! And the men of the army disputed with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: This is the conduct to be followed with the people of the Qiblah. Then he said: Bring me your arrows, and first of all cast lots over Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), to see whose share she falls to (she who is the mother of you all), for she was the leader of the army. On hearing this they realized the truth and said: We seek forgiveness from Allah. So Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) prevailed over them in proof and argument (that is, Muslim women cannot be made slaves).

Hakim bin Jabir said: I heard Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) saying on the day of the Battle of the Camel: We adopted a two-faced attitude regarding Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), so we find no way out except to exert ourselves to the utmost.

It is narrated from al-Sha'bi that no Companion of the Messenger from among the Muhajirun and the Ansar took part in the Battle of the Camel except Sayyiduna Ali, Ammar, Talhah and al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them). If any fifth Companion took part, then I am a great liar.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Ziyad that Sayyiduna Ammar bin Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Our mother (Sayyidah Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her) has traveled this path of ours, and she is indeed the honored wife of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in this world and the Hereafter. But Allah Almighty has tested us through her, so that Allah Almighty may know whether we obey Him or Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her).

It is narrated from Umayr bin Sa'd that when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) returned from the Battle of the Camel, he began preparing for the Battle of Siffin. The people of the tribe of Nakha' gathered and came to al-Ashtar. He said: Is there anyone in the house other than the Nakha'is? They answered: No. Then he said: This Ummah set upon its best man and killed him. We went against the people of Basrah, a people who had pledged allegiance to us, and because of their breaking the pledge we were given victory. Tomorrow you will go against a people who live in Syria and who have not pledged allegiance to us. So let each man among you see where he is going to place his sword.

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: "Which of you will be the rider of the shaggy camel? Many people will be killed around her, and she will be saved after having come close to destruction."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that someone said to him: What prevented you from taking part in the fighting on the day of the Battle of the Camel in accordance with your insight? He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying that a doomed people will go forth who will not succeed, and their leader will be a woman. Then he said: They will be in Paradise.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saying that a people who entrust their affairs to a woman cannot succeed.

It is narrated from al-Harith bin Jumhan al-Ju'fi that on the day of the Battle of the Camel we saw our spears and theirs so thrust into one another that if a man wished to walk on them, he could have walked. These were raising the cry 'La ilaha illallah wallahu akbar' (There is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest), and those too were raising the cry 'La ilaha illallah wallahu akbar' (There is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest).

It is reported from al-Dahhak that when Sayyiduna Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) and his companions were defeated, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered his herald to announce that now no one coming forward and no one turning his back and going away was to be killed, that no door was to be opened, that taking slave women was lawful for no one, and that no property was lawful.

It is reported from Abd Khayr that on the day of the Battle of the Camel, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered a herald to call out: "Beware! No one is to kill a wounded man, and no one is to pursue a man who has turned his back and fled."

It is narrated from Ibn al-Hanafiyyah: On the day of the Battle of the Camel I had the upper hand over a man. When I was about to strike him with my spear, he said: "I am on the religion of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) (that is, I am with him)." I realized what he meant, and I left him alone.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent me to Sayyiduna Talhah and Sayyiduna al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) on the day of the Battle of the Camel. I said to them: "Your brother sends you his greetings and says to you: Have you found me being unjust in any ruling, or favouring myself with the spoils (fay'), or anything else of this kind?" Sayyiduna al-Zubayr said: "None of these, but along with fear there is also intense greed."

It is narrated from Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyyah: We were sitting in the mountain pass (al-Shi'b), speaking of the shortcomings of Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him). One day, when we went beyond the limit, I turned to Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and said to him: "O Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), do you remember the evening of the Battle of the Camel? I was on the right of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and you were on his left, when we heard a shout from the direction of Madinah." Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "Yes, when so-and-so was sent to bring news of it. He reported that the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), was standing in the camel yard cursing the killers of Sayyiduna Uthman." Then Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "May Allah curse the killers of Uthman, whether they are on soft ground or in the mountains, on land or at sea." I was on the right of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and this man was on his left, and Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and I heard this face to face. By Allah, I have not spoken of any fault of Sayyiduna Uthman to this day.

It is reported from Tamim bin Dhuhl al-Dabbi: On the day of the Battle of the Camel I was holding the stirrup of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and was engaged in fighting alongside him. I saw myself as being in Paradise, and he was looking closely at the slain. He passed by a slain man whose appearance impressed him. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Who knows this man?" I said: "This is so-and-so al-Dabbi, and this is his son," until I had counted seven lying slain, face down, around him. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I would love that there were no Dabbi on earth except beneath the side of this old man."