Wadi al-Siba'

Like Talhah, al-Zubayr had pledged allegiance to 'Ali and then left for Basra with 'A'ishah, seeking justice for the killing of 'Uthman and the restoration of order. When the two armies stood facing each other, 'Ali is reported to have met al-Zubayr between the lines and reminded him of a saying of the Prophet ﷺ about the two of them.

Al-Zubayr, according to those reports, withdrew from the field and left the battle. As he was travelling away alone he was killed at Wadi al-Siba', by a man named 'Amr ibn Jurmuz who followed him. When the killer came to 'Ali bringing al-Zubayr's sword as though bringing good news, 'Ali is reported to have wept and said that the sword had often driven grief from the face of the Messenger ﷺ.

Sunni scholars hold that al-Zubayr, one of the ten promised Paradise, died as a martyr, and they refrain from sitting in judgment over those who were in these events. The Shi'a hold different views of al-Zubayr's role; this is a real point of difference, and the reports are not all of the same strength.