It is narrated from Muhammad bin Maslamah that he said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah! If disagreement and civil war break out among those who pray (the people of the Qiblah), what should I do?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go out with your sword to the Harrah (the rocky ground of Madinah) and strike it there to break it, then stay secluded in your house until death comes to you, or a sinful hand reaches you and kills you."

It is narrated from Sa'd bin Zayd bin Sa'd al-Ashhali that he presented the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with a sword from Najran as a gift. When he brought it to him (peace and blessings be upon him), he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave it to Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Fight with this in the path of Allah, but when the necks of the Muslims start clashing with one another (when they start fighting each other), strike it on a stone and break it, then stay secluded in your house, lying there like a rug that is spread out, until a sinful hand kills you or death comes to you." Imam al-Hakim said: So it was for these reasons, and other proofs like them, that those people kept away from fighting alongside Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), while it was on the basis of the opposite reasons that those who took part in the war fought.

It is narrated from al-Hasan al-Basri that Talhah and al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) came to Basrah, and the people asked them: "For what purpose have you come here?" They said: "We have come to seek retribution for the blood of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him)." Al-Hasan al-Basri said (commenting): "Subhan Allah! Did those people not have even enough sense to say to them: By Allah! No one killed Uthman but you (that is, you were the ones gathered around him)?" He further said: When Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Kufah, did the people not have enough sense to say: "O man! By Allah, we did not make you the guarantor (of such matters)?"

It is narrated from Musa bin Uqbah that Alqamah bin Waqqas al-Laythi said: "When Talhah, al-Zubayr and Aishah (may Allah be pleased with them) set out to seek retribution for the blood of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was their spokeswoman and orator, and all of them were her followers. When they reached the place called Dhat Irq, they sent back Urwah bin al-Zubayr and Abu Bakr bin Abd al-Rahman because of their young age." He says: "I saw Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him) preferring a place where no one else was, with his beard pressed against his chest. I said to him: O Abu Muhammad! I see that you prefer solitude and have your beard resting on your chest (in worry). If you dislike this matter, then leave it; no one is forcing you into it. He said: O Alqamah bin Waqqas! Do not blame me. Yesterday we were one hand (united) against others, but today we have become two mountains of iron, each advancing upon the other."