ʿAbd al-Majīd ibn Suhayl relates—through ʿUbayd Allāh ibn ʿAbd Allāh—from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:

“ʿUthmān put me in charge of the pilgrimage. When I returned, allegiance had already been sworn to ʿAlī. He said to me, ‘Travel to Syria, for I have appointed you its governor.’

I replied, ‘That is not sound judgment. Muʿāwiya is an Umayyad, the cousin of ʿUthmān and his governor over Syria. I cannot be sure he will not cut off my head for ʿUthmān’s sake—or, at the very least, imprison me.’

ʿAlī asked, ‘And why would he do that?’

I said, ‘Because of the kinship between you and me, and because whoever rises against you will rise against me. Instead, write to him, grant him favors, and make him promises.’

ʿAlī refused and said, ‘No, by Allah, that shall never happen.’

Mujālid reports from al-Shaʿbī:

“Umm Ḥabībah sent word to ʿUthmān’s family: ‘Send me the clothes in which ʿUthmān was killed.’

They sent his shirt, still blood-stained, along with the tuft that had been plucked from his beard. She summoned al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr, entrusted these items to him, and dispatched him to Muʿāwiya. Muʿāwiya mounted the pulpit, unfurled the shirt, gathered the people, and urged them to seek vengeance for ʿUthmān’s blood.

The people of Syria stood and said, ‘He is your cousin and you are his heir; we will join you in seeking retaliation for his blood.’

Ibn Shawdhub transmits from Maṭar al-Warrāq, from Zahdam al-Jarmī:

“We were spending an evening with Ibn ʿAbbās when he said, ‘After the events that befell this man—meaning ʿUthmān—I said to ʿAlī, “Withdraw from the people; even if you were hiding in a burrow⦗1⦘, they would hunt you down and drag you out.”

He disregarded my advice, and—by Allah—Muʿāwiya will surely come to rule over you, for Allah says: “Whoever is killed wrongfully—We have granted his heir authority; so let him not exceed the limits in killing. Indeed, he is supported.”⦗2⦘ (al-Isrāʾ 17:33)’