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...

Yahya bin Abdullah bin Abi Qatadah narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) joked with Abu Qatadah, saying, "I will cut your locks of hair." He replied, "In exchange for them, I will give you a slave." Later, the Prophet said to him, "Take good care of them," so he used to keep them perfumed.

Hazrat Hasan bin Hasan narrates that Abdullah bin Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) married off his daughter and advised her in private that when death approaches you or you are faced with any distressing situation in the world, supplicate before Allah with these words: La ilaha illallahu al-Haleemul-Kareem, Subhanallahi Rabbil-'Arshil-'Azim, Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil-'Alameen. Hasan bin Hasan says that when Hajjaj sent for me, I recited these words. When I was presented before him, he said, "I had called you so that I could kill you, but it is extremely difficult for me to kill you among your Ahl al-Bayt. Therefore, if you have any need you wish to fulfill, tell me and I will grant it to you."

32660 - Al-Hasan ibn (1) al-Hasan said: So al-Hajjaj sent for me and I said those words. When I stood before him, he said: "I had sent for you (intending) (2) to strike your neck, but now (by Allah) (3) there is no one (more honored to me than you) (4). Ask me your need."

Ibn Abi Mulaykah narrates that Ibn Zubair said to Ubaid bin Umair, "Speak to these Syrians so that they may turn back." When Hajjaj heard this, he sent a message to the people, "Raise your voices so that you do not hear what he says." So Ubaid said, "Woe to you! Do not be like those people who said, '__QUR_N__ Do not listen to this Qur'an and make noise in it so that you may prevail __QUR_N__.'"

Hazrat Mughira narrates that Abu Ja'far Muhammad bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Allah! Surely You know that I am not the Imam of these people.

Jarir bin Hazim narrates from a sheikh of Kufa, who said: I saw Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) during the time of Abdullah bin Zubair, that he entered the mosque and saw weapons displayed. He said: You have begun to honor the world, until he performed istilam (touching or kissing) of the Black Stone.

Hazrat Ibrahim bin Abd A'la narrates that Hajjaj bin Yusuf sent a message to Suwaid bin Ghaflah instructing him not to lead the people in prayer. He says, I replied that your order will be obeyed.

Ibrahim says that during the time of Mukhtar, I received a summons, so I applied oil to my face and took some medicine and did not go to them; thus, they left me alone.

Shu'bi narrates that Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) sent a message to Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: "Those who praise a person who commits deeds that incur Allah Almighty's displeasure are also counted among those who condemn him."