This report was recorded by Abū Yaʿlā in his Musnad, and versions very similar to it come through several other chains; we have quoted many of them in our book Fath al-Maṭālib (1).

Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād related—from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā—who said:
“On the Day of the Camel al-Zubayr withdrew from ʿAlī. His son ʿAbd Allāh met him and exclaimed, ‘Cowardice, cowardice!’

Al-Zubayr answered, ‘People know that I am no coward, but ʿAlī reminded me of something I had heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so I swore never to fight him.’ He then recited:
‘To leave aside the deeds whose outcome I fear—
For Allah’s sake that is better, both in this world and in the religion.’ (2)

It is also said that he declaimed:
‘Indeed I knew—were any knowledge of mine of benefit—
That life and death are, in truth, but near neighbours.’

Before long Ibn Jurmuz killed him.

Ḥuṣayn ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrated from ʿAmr ibn Jāwan:
‘After Ṭalḥah had been slain and the ranks had broken, al-Zubayr reached Safwān. There he met al-Naʿir al-Mujāshiʿī, who said, “O disciple of the Messenger of Allah! Where are you bound? Come; you are in my protection.” So he went along with him.

A man then came to al-Aḥnaf and said, “Al-Zubayr is at Safwān. What do you command if he has really arrived—the very man who charged in the midst of the Muslims until they were splitting one another’s brows with their swords—and now he wishes to rejoin his sons?” He heard those words