620 - Abu 'Abd Allah narrated to us, saying: Ishaq ibn Yusuf narrated to us, saying: 'Abd al-Malik narrated to us, from Salamah ibn Kuhayl, from Salim ibn Abi al-Ja'd, from Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, who said: "I was with 'Ali, may Allah have mercy on him, while 'Uthman was besieged. He said: A man came to him and said: 'The Commander of the Believers is being killed.' Then another came and said: 'The Commander of the Believers is being killed right now.' He said: So 'Ali, may Allah have mercy on him, stood up. Muhammad said: I took hold of his waist, fearing for him, and he said: 'Let go, may your mother be bereaved of you!' He said: 'Ali came to the house and the man [Uthman], may Allah have mercy on him, had been killed. He went to his own house, entered it, and locked his door. The people came to him, knocked on the door, and entered upon him, saying: 'This man has been killed, and the people must have a caliph, and we know of no one more deserving of it than you.' 'Ali said to them: 'Do not want me, for I would be a better minister (wazir) for you than I would be an amir (commander) for you.' They said: 'No, by Allah, we do not know of anyone more deserving of it than you.' He said: 'If you insist upon me, then my pledge of allegiance (bay'ah) shall not be done in secret, but rather I shall go out to the mosque, and whoever wishes to pledge allegiance to me may do so.' He said: So he went out to the mosque and the people pledged allegiance to him." Abu 'Abd Allah said: "I have not heard this [narration] from anyone except him. How remarkable a hadith it is!"

621 - Al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan informed me, saying: Ibrahim ibn al-Harith narrated to us, saying: Abu 'Abd Allah narrated to us, saying: Ishaq al-Azraq narrated to us the same [report], exactly, to its end."