↑[1] . Al-Ka‘bi (d. 209 AH) said: “Nu‘man ibn Bashir was Mu‘awiyah’s governor over Yemen and Yazid ibn Mu‘awiyah’s governor over Kufa” (Nasab Ma‘d wa al-Yaman al-Kabir by al-Kalbi, vol. 1, p. 406). Ibn Sa‘d (d. 230 AH) said: “He was Uthmani”—meaning that he turned away from Ali (Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra by ibn Sa‘d, vol. 8, p. 176). Muhammad ibn Habib al-Baghdadi (d. 245 AH) said: “Na’ilah (Uthman’s wife) sent him with Uthman’s shirt to Mu‘awiyah in Sham” (Al-Muhabbar by ibn Habib, p. 294). Abu al-Fida’ (d. 732 AH) said: “Nu‘man ibn Bashir went to Sham, carrying with him Uthman’s blood-stained garment. Then Mu‘awiyah hung Uthman’s shirt on the pulpit to incite the people to fight against Ali and his companions. Every time the people of Sham saw it, their anger grew stronger” (Al-Mukhtasar Fi Akhbar al-Bashar by ibn al-Fida’, vol. 1, p. 171). Ibn Sallam al-Jumahi (d. 232 AH) said: “Nu‘man held a special position with Mu‘awiyah. Mu‘awiyah used to say: ‘O Ansar! You reproach me for delaying, yet none of you has accompanied me except Nu‘man ibn Bashir. And you have seen how I have treated him.’ (Mu‘awiyah) appointed him over Kufa and honored him” (Tabaqat Fuhul al-Shu‘ara’ by ibn Sallam al-Jumahi, vol. 2, p. 463). Khalifah ibn Khayyat (d. 240 AH) narrated: “When Yazid ibn Mu‘awiyah learned that the people of Mecca intended to pledge allegiance to ibn Zubayr but he refused, he sent Nu‘man ibn Bashir and Hammam ibn Qabisah to ibn Zubayr to invite him to pledge allegiance to Yazid, offering him the governorship of the Hijaz and any other positions he desired for himself and for his family. So they came to ibn al-Zubayr and presented to him what Yazid had instructed them to offer” (Tarikh Khalifah ibn Khayyat, p. 252).

↑[2] . He was the commander of the army that besieged Husain (peace be upon him). He prevented him from access to water, fought him, and killed him unjustly and aggressively. Muhammad ibn Sa‘d (d. 230 AH) said: “Umar ibn Sa‘d was in Kufa. Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad had appointed him as governor over Rey and Hamadan and had assigned troops under his command. But when Husain ibn Ali arrived in Iraq, Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad ordered Umar ibn Sa‘d to march toward him and sent with him four thousand of his soldiers. He said to him: ‘If he comes to me and places his hand in my hand (i.e., pledges allegiance to me), [then so be it], otherwise fight him.’ So he obeyed and marched out toward Husain. Then he fought Husain until he was killed” (Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra by ibn Sa‘d, vol. 7, p. 167). It is surprising that he narrated from his father, from the Messenger of Allah , that he said: “Fighting a Muslim is disbelief” (Al-Muntakhab Min Musnad Abd ibn Humayd, p. 76)! Muhanna said: “I asked Ahmad about Umar ibn Sa‘d. So he said: ‘It is not appropriate to narrate from him!’ I said: ‘Why?’ He said: ‘Because he was a commander of armies and responsible for bloodshed’” (Al-Sunnah by Abu Bakr ibn al-Khallal, vol. 3, p. 518). It was said to Yahya ibn Ma‘in: “Is Umar ibn Sa‘d trustworthy?” He said: “How can someone who killed Husain be trustworthy?!” (Al-Tarikh al-Kabir by ibn Abi Khaythamah [second book], vol. 2, p. 945). It has been narrated from Abu Hafs that he said: “I heard Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Qattan say: ‘Isma‘il narrated to us, (he said,) Izar ibn Hurayth narrated to us, from Umar ibn Sa‘d’—then a man said to him: ‘O Abu Sa‘id! He is the killer of Husain! Are you narrating to us from the killer of Husain?!’ Then Yahya fell silent” (Al-Asami Wa al-Kuna by Abu Ahmad al-Hakim, vol. 2, p. 248), and in another narration: “The man said: ‘Do you not fear Allah that you narrate from Umar ibn Sa‘d?!’ Then Yahya cried and said: ‘I will never narrate from him again’” (Tahdhib al-Kamal by al-Mizzi, vol. 21, p. 357). Nevertheless, some of the Ahl al-Hadith have considered him trustworthy (See al-Thiqat by al-Ajali, vol. 2, p. 166), have narrated from him (See Tahdhib al-Kamal by al-Mizzi, vol. 21, p. 356), and have judged him to be truthful! (See Taqrib al-Tahdhib by ibn Hajar, p. 413).

↑[3] . He refused to pledge allegiance to Ali, but later pledged allegiance to Mu‘awiyah, Yazid, and Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan! It is well-known that once he asked permission to enter upon Hajjaj ibn Yusuf at night. Hajjaj said: “One of Abu Abd al-Raḥman’s foolish acts!” Then he entered, and when he reached him, Hajjaj said to him: “What brings you here?” He said: “I recalled the statement of the Messenger of Allah : ‘Whoever dies without having pledged allegiance to the Imam of his era and time has died a death of the pre-Islamic era!’” Then Hajjaj said to him: “You refused to pledge allegiance to Ali ibn Abi Talib, but you pledge allegiance to Abd al-Malik?! Pledge allegiance to my foot, for my hand is busy”—and he extended his foot toward him! (See al-Basa’ir Wa al-Dhakha’ir by Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi, vol. 7, p. 151; Nathr al-Durr Fi al-Muhadarat by al-Abi, vol. 2, p. 66; al-Tadhkirah al-Hamduniyyah by ibn Hamdun, vol. 9, p. 255). It has been narrated from al-Zuhri that he said: “How surprising ibn Umar is! He refused to pledge allegiance to Ali, but he pledged allegiance to Yazid ibn Mu‘awiyah and Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan” (Mir’at al-Zaman Fi Tawarikh al-A‘yan by Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, vol. 6, p. 53).