Ubaydullah bin Iyad bin Amr Qari reported,

Abdullah bin Shaddad came and entered upon Ayesha while we were sitting with her, on his return from Iraq during the days when Ali had been killed.She said to him, "Abdullah bin Shaddad, will you be truthful with me about something I want to ask you? Tell me about those people whom Ali killed."He said, "Why would I not be truthful with you?"She said, "Then tell me their story."He said, "When Ali entered into correspondence with Muawiya and the two arbitrators were appointed, eight thousand of the Quran reciters revolted against him and camped at a place called Harura on the outskirts of Kufa. They reproached him, saying, 'You stripped yourself of a garment that Allah Most High had clothed you in, a name with which Allah Most High had named you, then you went and accepted human arbitration in the religion of Allah, when there is no judgment except that of Allah Most High.'When word reached Ali of what they had reproached him for and the reason they had separated from him, he ordered a caller to announce that no one should enter upon the Commander of the Faithful except a man who had memorized the Quran. When the house was full of Quran reciters, he called for a great master copy of the Quran, placed it before him, and began striking it with his hand, saying, 'Mushaf, speak to the people.'The people called out to him, 'Commander of the Faithful, what are you asking? It is only ink on paper, and we are the ones who speak from what we have learned of it. So what is it you want?'He said, 'These companions of yours who have gone out, between me and them is the Book of Allah. Allah Most High says in His Book concerning a woman and a man, "And if you fear a breach between them, appoint an arbitrator from his people and an arbitrator from her people. If they both desire reconciliation, Allah will bring about agreement between them" [Nisa 4:35]. So the community of Muhammad ﷺ is greater in sanctity of blood and honor than a woman and a man.They also held it against me that I corresponded with Muawiya as Ali bin Abu Talib. Suhayl bin Amr came to us while we were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at Hudaybiyya, when he made peace with his people, the Quraysh. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wrote, "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate."Suhayl said, "Do not write 'In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.'"The Prophet asked, "Then how shall we write it?"Suhayl said, "Write, 'In Your name, O Allah.'"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Then write, 'Muhammad, Messenger of Allah.'"Suhayl said, "If I knew you were the Messenger of Allah, I would not oppose you."So he wrote, "This is what Muhammad bin Abdullah agreed upon with the Quraysh." Allah Most High says in His Book, "There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day" [Ahzab 33:21].'Then Ali sent Abdullah bin Abbas to them, and I went out with him. When we reached the middle of their camp, Ibn al-Kawwa stood up to address the people and said, 'Bearers of the Quran, this is Abdullah bin Abbas. Whoever does not know him, I know him through what the Book of Allah says about him. He is one of those concerning whom and whose people the verse was revealed, "a contentious people" [Zukhruf 43:58]. Send him back to his master and do not engage him in debate over the Book of Allah.'But their orators rose and said, 'By Allah, we will indeed engage him in debate over the Book of Allah. If he comes with truth that we recognize, we will follow him, and if he comes with falsehood, we will refute him with his falsehood.'So they debated the Book with Abdullah for three days, and four thousand of them returned, all repentant, including Ibn al-Kawwa, until he brought them to Ali in Kufa.Ali sent word to the rest of them, saying, 'You have seen what has happened between us and the people. So remain wherever you wish until the community of Muhammad ﷺ is reunited. The agreement between us and you is that you not shed forbidden blood, cut off any road, or wrong any protected person. For if you do, we have declared war on you on equal terms, for Allah does not love the treacherous.'"Ayesha said to him, "Ibn Shaddad, did he then kill them?"He said, "By Allah, he did not send against them until they had cut off the road, shed blood, and made lawful the killing of protected people."She said, "By Allah?"He said, "By Allah, besides whom there is no god, that is what happened."She said, "Then what is this thing that has reached me from the people of Iraq, what they are talking about? They speak of 'the man with the breast, the man with the breast.'"He said, "I saw him, and I stood with Ali over him among the slain. Ali called the people and said, 'Do you know this man?' How many came forward saying, 'I have seen him in the mosque of such-and-such tribe praying,' and 'I have seen him in the mosque of such-and-such tribe praying,' but they brought no firm identification of him beyond that."She said, "Then what did Ali say when he stood over him, as the people of Iraq claim?"He said, "I heard him say, 'Allah and His Messenger spoke truly.'"She said, "Did you hear from him anything other than that?"He said, "By Allah, no."She said, "Indeed, Allah and His Messenger spoke truly. May Allah have mercy on Ali. It was part of his speech that whenever he saw something that pleased him, he would say, 'Allah and His Messenger spoke truly.' But the people of Iraq go and lie about him and add to his words."

عن عبيد الله بن عياض بن عمرو القاري قال

جاء عبد الله بن شداد فدخل على عائشة، ونحن عندها جلوس، مرجعه من العراق ليالي قتل علي، فقالت له: يا عبد الله بن شداد! هل أنت صادقي عما أسألك عنه؟ تحدثني عن هؤلاء القوم الذين قتلهم علي. قال: وما لي لا أصدقك؟ قالت: فحدثني عن قصتهم. قال فإن عليا لما كاتب معاوية، وحكم الحكمين، خرج عليه ثمانية آلاف من قراء الناس، فنزلوا بأرض يقال لها: حروراء من جانب الكوفة، وإنهم عتبوا عليه فقالوا: انسلخت من قميص ألبسكه الله تعالى، واسم سماك الله تعالى به، ثم انطلقت، فحكمت في دين الله، فلا حكم إلا الله تعالى. فلما أن بلغ عليا ما عتبوا عليه، وفارقوه عليه، فأمر مؤذنا فأذن: أن لا يدخل على أمير المؤمنين إلا رجل قد حمل القرآن، فلما أن امتلأت الدار من قراء الناس دعا بمصحف إمام عظيم، فوضعه بين يديه، فجعل يصكه بيده ويقول: أيها المصحف حدث الناس، فناداه الناس، فقالوا: يا أمير المؤمنين ما تسأل عنه إنما هو مداد في ورق، ونحن نتكلم بما روينا منه، فماذا تريد؟ قال: أصحابكم هؤلاء الذين خرجوا، بيني وبينهم كتاب الله يقول الله تعالى في كتابه في امرأة ورجل: {وإن خفتم شقاق بينهما فابعثوا حكما من أهله وحكما من أهلها إن يريدا إصلاحا يوفق الله بينهما} [النساء: ٣٥] فأمة محمد ﷺ أعظم دما وحرمة من امرأة ورجل. ونقموا علي أن كاتبت معاوية: كتب علي بن أبي طالب، وقد جاءنا سهيل بن عمرو، ونحن مع رسول الله ﷺ بالحديبية، حين صالح قومه قريشا، فكتب رسول الله ﷺ الرحمن الرحيم فقال سهيل: لا تكتب بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم، فقال: كيف نكتب؟ فقال: اكتب باسمك اللهم، فقال رسول الله ﷺ: فاكتب محمد رسول الله، فقال لو أعلم أنك رسول الله، لم أخالفك، فكتب: هذا ما صالح محمد بن عبد الله قريشا. يقول الله تعالى في كتابه: {لقد كان لكم في رسول الله أسوة حسنة لمن كان يرجوا الله واليوم الآخر} [الأحزاب: ٢١] فبعث إليهم علي عبد الله بن عباس فخرجت معه، حتى إذا توسطنا عسكرهم قام ابن الكواء يخطب الناس فقال: يا حملة القرآن إن هذا عبد الله بن عباس، فمن لم يكن يعرفه فأنا أعرفه من كتاب الله ما يعرفه به هذا ممن نزل فيه وفي قومه {قوم خصمون} [الزخرف: ٥٨] فردوه إلى صاحبه، ولا تواضعوه كتاب الله، فقام خطباؤهم فقالوا: والله لنواضعنه كتاب الله، فإن جاء بحق نعرفه لنتبعته، وإن جاء بباطل لنبكتنه بباطله، فواضعوا عبد الله الكتاب ثلاثة أيام، فرجع منهم أربعة آلاف كلهم تائب، فيهم ابن الكواء، حتى أدخلهم على علي الكوفة، فبعث علي إلى بقيتهم، فقال: قد كان من أمرنا وأمر الناس ما قد رأيتم، فقفوا حيث شئتم، حتى تجتمع أمة محمد ﷺ، بيننا وبينكم أن لا تسفكوا دما حراما، أو تقطعوا سبيلا، أو تظلموا ذمة، فإنكم إن فعلتم فقد نبذنا إليكم الحرب على سواء، إن الله لا يحب الخائنين. فقالت له عائشة: يا ابن شداد، فقد قتلهم! فقال: والله ما بعث إليهم حتى قطعوا السبيل، وسفكوا الدم، واستحلوا أهل الذمة، فقالت: الله؟ قال: الله الذي لا إله إلا هو لقد كان. قالت: فما شيء بلغني عن أهل العراق يتحدثونه؟ يقولون: ذو الثدي، وذو الثدي. قال: قد رأيته، وقمت مع علي عليه في القتلى، فدعا الناس فقال: أتعرفون هذا؟ فما أكثر من جاء يقول: قد رأيته في مسجد بني فلان يصلي، ورأيته في مسجد بني فلان يصلي، ولم يأتوا فيه بثبت يعرف إلا ذلك، قالت: فما قول علي حين قام عليه كما يزعم أهل العراق؟ قال: سمعته يقول: صدق الله ورسوله، قالت: هل سمعت منه أنه قال غير ذلك؟ قال: اللهم لا. قالت: أجل، صدق الله ورسوله، يرحم الله عليا إنه كان من كلامه لا يرى شيئا يعجبه إلا قال: صدق الله ورسوله، فيذهب أهل العراق يكذبون عليه، ويزيدون عليه في الحديث.