50. al-Isti`āb: “Nāfi` was asked: “Why did `Abdullah ibn `Umar swear allegiance to Mu`āwiya but not to Ali (a.s.)?”
Nāfi` replied: “Ibn `Umar would not stretch a hand at a time of disunity, nor would he restrain it when there was unanimity. He did not swear allegiance to Mu`āwiya until all others agreed to pledge allegiance to him.”¹

51. Musnad Ibn Hanbal –narrating from Nāfi`: “When the people of Madina rose up with Ibn Zubair and dethroned Yazid ibn Mu`āwiya, Ibn `Umar called his children and said: “We swore allegiance to this man on the basis of allegiance to God and His Messenger, and verily I heard the Messenger of God (s.a.w.) say:
“For the treacherous there will rise a banner on the Day of Resurrection and it will be said: ‘this is the treachery of so-and-so’, and the greatest treachery, other than sharing a partner with God [polytheism] is that one pledges allegiance to another on the basis of allegiance to God and His Messenger and then abandon it. Therefore, let no one among you dethrone Yazid and exceed the limits of this affair [of ruling], or else a sword will lie between me and you!”²

52. Fath al-Bāri: “During that period [the period of the government of `Abdullah ibn Zubair], `Abdullah ibn `Umar refused to swear allegiance to Ibn Zubair or to `Abd al-Malik, as he also refused to swear allegiance to Ali (a.s.) or Mu`āwiya. But later on, he swore allegiance to Mu`āwiya when he made peace with Hasan ibn Ali (a.s.) and when people agreed on him. After the death of Mu`āwiya, he [`Abdullah Ibn `Umar] also swore allegiance to his son Yazid as the people had agreed upon him. After that, during the time of disagreements, he did not swear allegiance to anyone until Ibn Zubair was killed and the government was entirely handed over to `Abd al-Malik, and [`Abdullah] then swore allegiance to him.”³

53. Sahih al-Bukhāri –narrating from `Abdullah ibn Dinār: “When people swore allegiance to `Abd al-Malik, `Abdullah ibn `Umar wrote a letter to him: “To the servant of God `Abd al-Malik, the commander of the faithful, I truly confess my obedience and heedfulness to the servant of God `Abd al-Malik, the commander of the faithful, according to the teachings of God and the traditions of His Messenger as much as I am capable, and my children have also confessed to that.”⁴

50. الاستيعاب: قيلَ لِنافِعٍ: ما بالُ ابنِ عُمَرَ بايَعَ مُعاوِيَةَ، ولَم يُبايِع عَلِيّاً؟ فقالَ: كانَ ابنُ عُمَرَ ]لا[¹ يُعطي يَداً في فُرقَةٍ، ولا يَمنَعُها مِن جَماعَةٍ، ولَم يُبايِع مُعاوِيَةَ حَتّى اجتَمَعوا عَلَيهِ.²

51. مسند ابن حنبل عن نافع: إنَّ ابنَ عُمَرَ جَمَعَ بَنيهِ ـ حينَ انتَزى³ أهلُ المَدينَةِ مَعَ ابنِ الزُّبَيرِ، وخَلَعوا يَزيدَ بنَ مُعاوِيَةَ ـ فَقالَ: إنّا قَد بايَعنا هذَا الرَّجُلَ بِبَيعِ اللهِ ورَسولِهِ، وإنّي سَمِعتُ رَسولَ اللهِ صلی الله علیه وآله يَقولُ: الغادِرُ يُنصَبُ لَهُ لِواءٌ يَومَ القِيامَةِ، فَيُقالُ: هذِهِ غُدَرَةُ فُلان، وإنَّ مِن أعظَمِ الغَدرِ ـ إلّا أن يَكونَ الإِشراكُ بِاللهِ تَعالى ـ أن⁴ يُبايِعَ الرَّجُلُ رَجُلاً عَلى بَيعِ اللهِ ورَسولِهِ ثُمَّ يَنكُثَ بَيعَتَهُ، فَلا يَخلَعَنَّ أحَدٌ مِنكُم يَزيدَ، ولا يُسرِفَنَّ أحَدٌ مِنكُم في هذَا الأَمرِ، فَيَكونَ صَيلَماً فيما بَيني وبَينَكُم!!⁵

52. فتح الباري: كانَ عَبدُ اللهِ بنُ عُمَرَ في تِلكَ المُدَّةِ ]مُدَّةِ حُكومَةِ عَبدِ اللهِ بنِ الزُّبَير[ امتَنَعَ أن يُبايِعَ لاِبنِ الزُّبَيرِ أو لِعَبدِ المَلِكِ، كَما كانَ امتَنَعَ أن يُبايِعَ لِعَليّ أو مُعاوِيَةَ، ثُمَّ بايَعَ لِمُعاوِيَةَ لَمَّا اصطَلَحَ مَعَ الحَسَنِ بنِ عَلِيٍّ وَاجتَمَعَ عَلَيهِ النّاسُ، وبايَعَ لاِبنِهِ يَزيدَ بَعدَ مَوتِ مُعاوِيَةَ؛ لاِجتِماعِ النّاسِ عَلَيهِ، ثُمَّ امتَنَعَ مِنَ المُبايَعَةِ لاَِحد حالَ الاِختِلافِ إلى أن قُتِلَ ابنُ الزُّبَيرِ وَانتَظَمَ المُلكُ كُلُّهُ لِعَبدِ المَلِكِ، فَبايَعَ لَهُ حينَئِذٍ.⁶

53. صحيح البخاري عن عبد الله بن دينار: لَمّا بايَعَ النّاسُ عَبدَ المَلِكِ، كَتَبَ إلَيهِ عَبدُ اللهِ بنُ عُمَرَ: إلى عَبدِ اللهِ عَبدِ المَلِكِ أميرِ المُؤمِنينَ، إنّي اُقِرُّ بِالسَّمعِ والطّاعَةِ لِعَبدِ اللهِ عَبدِ المَلِكِ أميرِ المُؤمِنينَ، عَلى سُنَّةِ اللهِ وسُنَّةِ رَسولِهِ فيمَا استَطَعتُ، وإنَّ بَنِيَّ قَد أقَرّوا بِذلِكَ.⁷