When A´ayshah arrived with Ttolhah and Zobeyr near Bossrah, O’thmân B. Hanyf, who was on behalf of the Amir of the Faithful the governor of that province, sent to them O’mrân Alhassyin and Abu-l-aswad as envoys to ascertain the reason of their coming. These two envoys, who were excellent U’lamâ and lawyers, first waited on A´ayshah, who replied to their question as follows: ‘A crowd of rebellious and turbulent men, having gone to the place of the apostle’s exile [i.e., to Madinah], wantonly shed the blood of the Emâm of the Musalmâns [i.e., of O’thmân], raised the dust of wickedness and corruption. Having been disquieted by this unjust act, I am coming to this province for the purpose of asking the inhabitants to aid and assist me, so that supported by them I may go to Madinah with an army to retaliate upon the murderers of the Khalifah of the apostle of God.’ Then O’mrân and Abu-l-aswad went to Ttolhah and Zobeyr, whom they asked the same question, and received the identical reply they had heard from A´ayshah. The envoys thereon asked: ‘How can you oppose A’li, to whom you have paid homage?’ Ttolhah and Zobeyr replied: ‘We have paid allegiance to A’li from fear of the scimitar of Mâlek Ashtar, and on condition of his punishing the murderers of O’thmân; as, however, he has failed to keep his promise, the homage we paid him became nullified.’ The envoys returned to Bossrah and informed O’thmân B. Hanyf of what they had been told, whereon he issued orders to make preparations for hostilities, but desiring to ascertain whether any of the inhabitants of Bossrah would side with Ttolhah and Zobeyr, he sent Qays B. Moghyrah to the cathedral mosque, where the inhabitants had assembled, and to harangue them as follows: ‘O ye people, if those persons [i.e., A´ayshah, Ttolhah and Zobeyr] allege that fear had induced them to come here, it is contrary to reason, because wild animals and birds being secure from injury in that locality [i.e., Mekkah], it is not likely that the spouse of the apostle—u. w. bl.—had any reason to fear. If they say that they have come to avenge the blood of O’thmân, you know very well that none of his murderers are among us. Accordingly, it will be proper for you to repel them, that they may return to their country.’ Among others, Aswad B. Sarj Alsa’dy said: ‘They wish us and others beside us to aid them, and desire it to be licit to shed the blood of everyone who considers it to have been licit to shed that of O’thmân.’ After listening to these discussions, the people expelled Qays B. Moghyrah from the mosque by throwing stones at him. When O’thmân B. Hanyf knew what had taken place, and ascertained that the well-wishers of Ttolhah and of Zobeyr were numerous, he lost much of his self-confidence. The next day A´ayshah mounted her camel, entered the city, and halted in an open square with Ttolhah on her right and Zobeyr on her left hand, the troops being drawn up around her in lines. O’thmân B. Hanyf likewise paraded his army opposite to A´ayshah, and all the inhabitants of Bossrah were present on that encamping ground. In that assemblage Ttolhah and Zobeyr delivered speeches extolling the virtues of O’thmân, narrating his murder, and asking for the aid of the people to avenge it. Some of the townspeople said: ‘Ttolhah and Zobeyr are speaking the truth, and it is incumbent upon all Musalmâns to avenge the blood of O’thmân.’ Others, however, said: ‘These two men have paid allegiance to A’li and have broken it, and now they have come under the pretext of avenging the murder of O’thmân, in order that they may usurp the supreme power.’ On this occasion Jâretah, who was a partisan of A’li and a chief of the Bani Tamym, exclaimed in a loud voice: ‘O mother of the faithful [i.e., A´ayshah], I swear by God that the apostle—u. w. p.—is less aggrieved by the murder of O’thmân than by the part thou hast chosen to play, abandoning thy privacy, mounting this camel, and thus standing between two armies. If thou hast left thy house of thy own accord, I adjure thee by God to return to thy domicile; but if thou hast been brought here against thy will, ask help from the people that they may convey thee back to thy country.’ He also said: ‘O Ttolhah and Zobeyr, you have been the disciples of the prophet, but you have disregarded the prerogative of his lordship by keeping your own wives within the curtains [of privacy], and by bringing out the spouse of the apostle—u. w. bl.—from the apartment of modesty; and now you are pleased to see her thus mounted, standing in this crowd.’ None of the bystanders, however, who heard these words, replied to them.
Meanwhile Hakym B. Hylah, who was one of the chief officers of the army of O’thmân B. Hanyf and the general of the cavalry, gave the signal for hostilities; but most of the inhabitants of Bossrah sided with Ttolhah and Zobeyr, and commenced the fight. That day the battle raged till nightfall, so that many were wounded and killed on both sides. When the sovereign of luminaries [i.e., the sun] had deflected to the region of the west, the two contending parties retired to their habitations, but renewed the fight the next morning, and, the conflict having lasted till mid-day, A´ayshah ordered it to be heralded that the mother of the faithful desired both parties to cease fighting, because she had come to this locality to establish peace, and not to raise a war. The combatants then abstained from further hostilities, and, after a great deal of discussion, the negotiators of both parties arrived at the conclusion that a man be sent to Madinah to ascertain the circumstances of the homage of Ttolhah and Zobeyr. If it appeared that they had unwillingly paid homage to A’li, O’thmân B. Hanyf was to depart from Bossrah and to surrender it to A´ayshah, but that in the contrary case A´ayshah would have to go to some other place with her followers. After a consultation, Ka’b B. Aswad, who was the Qâdzi and Faqih* of Bossrah, was selected, and departed. When he arrived in Madinah, he entered the mosque on a Friday, and made inquiries concerning the allegiance of Ttolhah and of Zobeyr; but no one replied except Asâmah B. Zaid, who stated that Ttolhah and Zobeyr had paid homage unwillingly to A’li. He was, however, contradicted by Sohayl B. Hanyf, the Governor of Madinah, who happened to be a partisan of A’li the Commander of the Faithful. Then Ssahyb B. Sanân and Muhammad B. Moslamah, wishing to avoid a disturbance, took Asâmah by the hand, led him out from the mosque, and said that Asâmah had spoken the truth. Ka’b, who had witnessed these proceedings, departed to Bossrah, and when he arrived informed A´ayshah of the state of the case. She then sent an envoy to O’thmân with the request to surrender the town to her, according to the promise. He, however, replied: ‘A letter has just arrived from A’li the Commander of the Faithful, the contents of which are: “Do thy utmost to guard the city, and do not allow the opponents to prevail.”’ A´ayshah wondered at this information; but Ttolhah and Zobeyr, having prepared themselves for hostilities, entered the mosque during the night, and slew forty of the adherents of O’thmân; then they proceeded to the government-house, where they caused four hundred of the guards and watchmen of O’thmân to attain martyrdom. They took out O’thmân from the castle, imprisoned him, and wanted to make him join his companions; but A´ayshah interposed, saying: ‘He is an old man who was honoured by associating with the apostle; restrain your hands from shedding his blood.’ They complied with the behest of A´ayshah, and liberated O’thmân, but pulled out every hair of his beard, which was very long and broad, dealing in the same way with his moustache and eyebrows. After O’thmân had thus escaped the grasp of death, he hastened to wait on A’li the Commander of the Faithful; but his lordship, not recognising him, asked: ‘Who art thou? What is thy name?’ He replied that he was O’thmân B. Hanyf, whereon A’li said: ‘O’thmân, thou hast gone away aged, but hast returned as a beardless youth.’
After Ttolhah and Zobeyr had obtained possession of Bossrah, they sent letters to Syria to inform Moa’wiah of the state of affairs, and to ask him for aid in waging war against A’li the Commander of the Faithful. A´ayshah on her part likewise despatched letters to the inhabitants of Kûfah to the following purport: ‘If A’li asks for your assistance and help, you are to withdraw your feet under the skirts of safety, and to restrain your hands from the breast of compliance with his wish; but if you conveniently can, you are to join the victory-boding standards [of my army].’—It is on record that when O’thmân B. Hanyf was made prisoner, influential men contended with each other concerning the appointment of Emâm,* and to prevent a disturbance A´ayshah ordered the Musalmâns to hold the prescribed orisons in the rear of A’bdullah B. Zobeyr until the period of the appointment of a Khalifah.—At that time Ttolhah and Zobeyr openly proclaimed that [the Khalifah] O’thmân had been slain with the approbation of A’li; whereon A’bdullah B. Hakym Tamymy, who was one of the notables of Bossrah, produced a letter written by Ttolhah to the nobles of the locality, inciting them to assent to the murder of O’thmân, and said: ‘There is a discrepancy between thy deeds and professions, which, although not known to others, thou must be aware of thyself; because after O’thmân had been killed, A’li said to thee and to Zobeyr, “I shall pay homage to, aid, and follow the one of you two who is inclined to become Khalifah, because I would rather be Wazir than Amir.” Both of you, however, unanimously replied, “No one but thyself is worthy of this dignity.” Then you gladly and willingly paid him the allegiance which you are now again unanimous in breaking, whereas you had actually incited the people to slay O’thmân.’ They replied: ‘For whatever wrong we have done in the days of O’thmân there is now no other remedy for us except repentance and regret; but in order to atone for what has passed, we now deem it proper to avenge his blood.’ It is on record that as soon as Ttolhah and Zobeyr had attained undisputed supreme power, they distributed to the army whatever they found in the public treasury. They likewise slew many persons on the pretext that they had, in the days of the rebellion, been in Madinah, and were accomplices in the murder of O’thmân. Nearly thirty thousand able men, girding their loins of enmity against A’li the Commander of the Faithful, joined them; whilst, on the other hand, many of the A’bdu-l-qays and of the Bani Bakr B. Wâyl fled from Bossrah, and hastened to wait upon the possessor of the Dhu-l-fiqâr [name of the celebrated sword given to A’li by the prophet].