Hadith No: 7
Ibn Kathir - Al-Bidayah wa'l-Nihayah
Year eleven of the Hijrah - Chapter on the remaining matters related to the noble biography
Dala'il al-Nubuwwah - His (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) news of the tribulations occurring during Uthman's caliphate
Volume: (9) - Page Number: (190)
[The text is lengthy, so only the relevant excerpt is provided here]
- He said: When Ali and his companions drew near to Talha and Zubair, and the ranks were coming closer together, Ali came out riding the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) mule and called out: "Bring me Zubair ibn al-Awwam, for I am Ali." So Zubair was called to him and approached until their mounts were intermingled. Ali said: "O Zubair, I urge you by Allah, do you remember the day when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) passed by you while we were in such and such a place and said: 'O Zubair, do you not love Ali?'" Zubair replied: "Do I not love my cousin and the son of my uncle, and one who is of my faith?"
Ali continued: "O Zubair, by Allah, you will fight him, and you will be wronging him." Zubair said: "Yes, by Allah, I had forgotten it since I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), but I remember it now. By Allah, I will not fight you." And Zubair turned back on his mount, parting the ranks, when his son Abdullah ibn al-Zubair confronted him and said, "What is it with you?"
Zubair replied: "Ali reminded me of a hadith I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), in which he said you would fight him and be wronging him." Abdullah said: "Did you come to fight? You only came to reconcile between the people, and Allah will set this matter right through you." Zubair said: "I have sworn not to fight him." Abdullah replied: "Free your slave Sarjas and wait until you reconcile between the people." So he freed his slave and waited. When the situation among the people became confused, Zubair went off on his horse. They said he returned to Aisha and mentioned that he had sworn not to fight Ali. His son Abdullah said to him: "You gathered the people, and when some of them saw each other, you left them as if to atone for your oath and now you should be present for the fight against Ali."
It is said that he returned to combat when he saw Ammar with Ali, and he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) say to Ammar: 'A rebellious faction will kill you,' so he feared that Ammar would be killed on this day. I believe that the hadith we mentioned, if it is authentic, is not what made him turn back, and it is unlikely that he would atone for his oath and then later participate in fighting Ali. And Allah knows best.