Musnad Ahmad 1414
It was narrated that Mutarrif said:
We said to az-Zubair (رضي الله عنه): “O Abu `Abdullah, what brought you here? You let the caliph down until he was killed, then you came seeking vengeance for him?” Az-Zubair (رضي الله عنه) said: “At the time of the Prophet (ﷺ), Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthman and me, we read the verse: “And fear the Fitnah (affliction and trial) which affects not in particular (only those) of you who do wrong (but it may afflict all the good and the bad people).” [al-Anfal 8:25]. But we never knew that it referred to us until the turmoil befell us.”
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ، مَوْلَى بَنِي هَاشِمٍ حَدَّثَنَا شَدَّادٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا غَيْلَانُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ، عَنْ مُطَرِّفٍ، قَالَ قُلْنَا لِلزُّبَيْرِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مَا جَاءَ بِكُمْ ضَيَّعْتُمْ الْخَلِيفَةَ حَتَّى قُتِلَ ثُمَّ جِئْتُمْ تَطْلُبُونَ بِدَمِهِ قَالَ الزُّبَيْرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِنَّا قَرَأْنَاهَا عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ ‏{‏وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لَا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْكُمْ خَاصَّةً‏}‏ لَمْ نَكُنْ نَحْسَبُ أَنَّا أَهْلُهَا حَتَّى وَقَعَتْ مِنَّا حَيْثُ وَقَعَتْ‏.‏