حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو شِهَابٍ، عَنْ عَوْفٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الْمِنْهَالِ، قَالَ لَمَّا كَانَ ابْنُ زِيَادٍ وَمَرْوَانُ بِالشَّأْمِ، وَوَثَبَ ابْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ بِمَكَّةَ، وَوَثَبَ الْقُرَّاءُ بِالْبَصْرَةِ، فَانْطَلَقْتُ مَعَ أَبِي إِلَى أَبِي بَرْزَةَ الأَسْلَمِيِّ حَتَّى دَخَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي دَارِهِ وَهْوَ جَالِسٌ فِي ظِلِّ عُلِّيَّةٍ لَهُ مِنْ قَصَبٍ، فَجَلَسْنَا إِلَيْهِ فَأَنْشَأَ أَبِي يَسْتَطْعِمُهُ الْحَدِيثَ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا بَرْزَةَ أَلاَ تَرَى مَا وَقَعَ فِيهِ النَّاسُ فَأَوَّلُ شَىْءٍ سَمِعْتُهُ تَكَلَّمَ بِهِ إِنِّي احْتَسَبْتُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَنِّي أَصْبَحْتُ سَاخِطًا عَلَى أَحْيَاءِ قُرَيْشٍ، إِنَّكُمْ يَا مَعْشَرَ الْعَرَبِ كُنْتُمْ عَلَى الْحَالِ الَّذِي عَلِمْتُمْ مِنَ الذِّلَّةِ وَالْقِلَّةِ وَالضَّلاَلَةِ، وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْقَذَكُمْ بِالإِسْلاَمِ وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى بَلَغَ بِكُمْ مَا تَرَوْنَ، وَهَذِهِ الدُّنْيَا الَّتِي أَفْسَدَتْ بَيْنَكُمْ، إِنَّ ذَاكَ الَّذِي بِالشَّأْمِ وَاللَّهِ إِنْ يُقَاتِلُ إِلاَّ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا‏.‏

When Ibn Ziyad and Marwan were in Sham and Ibn Az-Zubair took over the authority in Mecca and Qurra' (the Kharijites) revolted in Basra, I went out with my father to Abu Barza Al-Aslami till we entered upon him in his house while he was sitting in the shade of a room built of cane. So we sat with him and my father started talking to him saying, "O Abu Barza! Don't you see in what dilemma the people has fallen?" The first thing heard him saying "I seek reward from Allah for myself because of being angry and scornful at the Quraish tribe. O you Arabs! You know very well that you were in misery and were few in number and misguided, and that Allah has brought you out of all that with Islam and with Muhammad till He brought you to this state (of prosperity and happiness) which you see now; and it is this worldly wealth and pleasures which has caused mischief to appear among you. The one who is in Sham (i.e., Marwan), by Allah, is not fighting except for the sake of worldly gain: and those who are among you, by Allah, are not fighting except for the sake of worldly gain; and that one who is in Mecca (i.e., Ibn Az-Zubair) by Allah, is not fighting except for the sake of worldly gain."