Sulaym ibn Qays says: “One day I was sitting with Muhammad ibn Muslimah and Sa’ad ibn Malik and Abdullah ibn Umar. I heard them saying: (“We were afraid lest we get destroyed because we did not help Ali and we did not join him to fight against the deviated and tyrant group.”)
I said: “O Lord, no doubt, I have heard Ali (a.s) saying: (“The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) had ordered me to fight against those that broke the allegiance, those that deviated and those that had left the religion.”}”
He (Sulaym) says: “When I said the above, they all cried and then they said: (“Ali (a.s) has said truth and he has done a good deed. He never said anything against Allah and the Holy Prophet (S.A.W), and except truth. Now we turn to Allah in repentance in this matter that we stayed behind and particularly, we did not help him.”)”.