47. Tārikh al-Tabari: “Ali (a.s.) sent Kumayl al-Nakha`i for `Abdullah ibn `Umar. He brought him. Ali (a.s.) said to him: “Rise with me.” `Abdullah ibn `Umar said: “I am with the people of Madina. I am but only one man from among them. When they enter into this affair I will also enter with them and I will not separate from them, so if they leave [for war] I will leave and if they stay, I will stay.”
Ali (a.s.) said: “Then give me someone to guarantee that you will not rise [against me].” He said: “I will not give you anyone.”
Ali (a.s.) said: “If I did not know of your bad manners when you were young and at your old age, I would not have accepted. Let him go. I myself will vouch for him.”¹

48. Tārikh al-Tabari –narrating from Muhammad and Talha: “Zubair and Talha went out and met `Abdullah ibn `Umar and discouraged him [in accompanying Ali (a.s.)]. `Abdullah said: “I am one of the people of Madina. If they agree to rise, I will rise and if they stay I will stay.” So, they [Zubair and Talha] left him and returned.”²

49. al-Tabaqāt al-Kubrā –narrating from Abu Hasin-: “Mu`āwiya said: “Who is more deserving than we are for this affair [of ruling]?” `Abdullah ibn `Umar said: “I wanted to say: “The more deserving than you is the person who fought against you and your father over it”, but I remembered what I had in mind, so I feared that this might create a problem.”³

47. تاريخ الطبري: بَعَثَ ]عَلِيٌّ علیه السلام [ إلى عَبدِ اللهِ بنِ عُمَرَ كُمَيلاً النَّخَعِيَّ، فَجاءَ بِهِ، فَقالَ: اِنهَض مَعي. فَقالَ: أنَا مَعَ أهلِ المَدينَةِ؛ إنَّما أنَا رَجُلٌ مِنهُم، وقَد دَخَلوا في هذَا الأَمرِ فَدَخَلتُ مَعَهُم لا اُفارِقُهُم، فَإِن يَخرُجوا أخرُج، وإن يَقعُدوا أقَعُد. قالَ: فَأَعطِني زَعيماً بِأَن لا تَخرُجَ. قالَ: ولا اُعطيكَ زَعيماً. قال: لَولا ما أعرِفُ مِن سوءِ خُلُقِكَ صَغيراً وكَبيراً لأَنكَرتَني، دَعوهُ؛ فَأَنَا بِهِ زَعيمٌ.¹

48. تاريخ الطبري عن محمّد وطلحة: خَرَجَ الزُّبَيرُ وطَلحَةُ حَتّى لَقِيا ابنَ عُمَرَ، ودَعَواهُ إلَى الخُفوفِ، فَقالَ: إنِّي امُرؤٌ مِن أهلِ المَدينَةِ، فَإِن يَجتَمِعوا عَلَى النُّهوضِ أنهَض، وإن يَجتَمِعوا عَلَى القُعودِ أقعُد. فَتَرَكاهُ ورَجَعا.²

49. الطبقات الكبرى عن أبي حصين: إنَّ مُعاوِيَةَ قالَ: ومَن أحَقُّ بِهذا الأَمرِ مِنّا؟ فَقالَ عَبدُ اللهِ بنُ عُمَرَ: فَأَرَدتُ أن أقولَ: أحَقُّ مِنكَ مَن ضَرَبَكَ وأباكَ عَلَيهِ!! ثُمَّ ذَكَرتُ ما فِي الجَنان، فَخَشيتُ أن يَكونَ في ذاكَ فَسادٌ!.³