Ubaidullah bin Iyaz says that a few days after the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Shaddad (may Allah be pleased with him) returned from Iraq and presented himself before Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and at that time we were sitting with Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said to him: "Abdullah! Will you answer truthfully whatever I ask you? Can you tell me about those people who martyred Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)?" He replied, "Why would I not speak the truth to you?" She said, "Then tell me their story." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Shaddad (may Allah be pleased with him) began: "When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) started correspondence with Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) and both arbitrators gave their respective decisions, eight thousand people, who were called Qurra (reciters), left and went to a place called Harura on one side of Kufa. These people were displeased with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said that the shirt Allah had clothed you with, you have taken off, and the name Allah had given you, you have distanced from yourself. Then you accepted arbitration in the matter of religion, whereas the command belongs only to Allah."

"When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) learned that these people had separated from him in anger, he ordered the announcer to call out that only those who have the Noble Qur'an with them should come to the Commander of the Faithful. When his house was filled with those who recited the Qur'an, he had a large copy of the Qur'an brought and placed it before him, and shaking it with his hand, he said, 'O Qur'an! Inform the people.' Seeing this, the people said, 'O Commander of the Faithful! What are you asking from this copy? This is only ink on paper. Yes, the rulings that have reached us through it, we narrate to each other. What is your purpose with this?' He said, 'These companions of yours who have separated from us, the Qur'an will decide between me and them. Allah Almighty Himself says in the Qur'an regarding husband and wife that if you fear discord between them, then send an arbitrator from his side and an arbitrator from her family. If their intention is reconciliation, Allah will create harmony between them. I think that the blood and sanctity of the entire Ummah is more important than that of a man and a woman (so if I accepted arbitration in this matter, what sin did I commit?) And as for their anger that I corresponded with Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) (then Sayyiduna Muawiyah is a Muslim and a Companion), when we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at Hudaybiyyah and Suhail bin Amr came to us and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made peace with his people, the Quraysh, at that time the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had me write, «بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم» . At this, Suhail said: 'Do not write like this.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Then how should I write?' He said: 'Write «باسمك اللهم» .' After that, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had his name written as «محمد رسول الله» , so he said: 'If I considered you the Messenger of Allah, I would never oppose you.' Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had these words written: «هذا ما صالح محمد بن عبدالله قريشا» . And Allah says that in the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) you have the best example (I have only followed that example)."

"After this, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) to explain to them. The narrator says: I also went with him. When we reached the middle of their army, a man named Ibn al-Kawwa stood up to address the people and said: 'O bearers of the Qur'an! This is Abdullah bin Abbas who has come. Whoever does not know him, I will introduce him from the Qur'an. He is the one about whom and his people the Qur'an says «قوم خصمون» , meaning the word "quarrelsome people" has been used, so send him back to his companion, i.e., Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and do not present the Book of Allah before him.' Hearing this, their orators stood up and said: 'By Allah! We will present the Book of Allah before him. If he brings the truth, we will follow him, and if he brings falsehood, we will silence that falsehood.' Thus, for three days, they debated with Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) with the Book of Allah before them, as a result of which four thousand of them repented from their beliefs and returned, including Ibn al-Kawwa himself, and all of them presented themselves before Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in Kufa."

"After this, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sent a message through a messenger to the remaining people that you have seen what happened between us and those people. Now stay wherever you wish until the Muslim Ummah is united. There is an agreement between us and you that you will not shed anyone's blood unjustly, will not commit robbery, and will not oppress the dhimmis. If you do so, we will wage war against you, for Allah does not like the treacherous."

"After hearing this entire account, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: 'Ibn Shaddad! Did they then fight those people?' He replied: 'By Allah! Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) did not send any army against them until they broke the aforementioned agreement. They committed robbery, shed innocent blood, and considered it lawful to attack the dhimmis.' Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: 'By Allah! Is that really what happened?' He said: 'Yes, by the One besides whom there is no deity, that is what happened.'"

"Then Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: 'What is the reality of what has reached me through the people of Iraq, that there was a person called Dhu al-Thadi?' Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Shaddad (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'I myself saw that person and stood with Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) over his corpse among the slain. On that occasion, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) called the people and asked: "Do you know this person?" Most people said: "I saw him praying in such-and-such neighborhood's mosque, I saw him praying in such-and-such neighborhood's mosque." No one could say anything definite by which he could be identified.'"

"Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: 'When Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was standing by his corpse, did he say the same thing that the people of Iraq narrate?' He said: 'I heard Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: "Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth."' Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked: 'Did you hear anything else from his mouth?' He said: 'By Allah! No.' She said: 'Alright, that's fine. May Allah have mercy on Ali. This was his habitual phrase. That is why whenever something good or astonishing appeared to him, he would say: "Allah and His Messenger have spoken the truth," and the people of Iraq began to attribute false things to him and exaggerate and present things from themselves.'"