They turned to apostasy
Al-Kāfi|Volume 8|Book 1|Chapter 455
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحِيمِ الْقَصِيرِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) إِنَّ النَّاسَ يَفْزَعُونَ إِذَا قُلْنَا إِنَّ النَّاسَ ارْتَدُّوا فَقَالَ يَا عَبْدَ الرَّحِيمِ إِنَّ النَّاسَ عَادُوا بَعْدَ مَا قُبِضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (صلى الله عليه وآله) أَهْلَ جَاهِلِيَّةٍ إِنَّ الْأَنْصَارَ اعْتَزَلَتْ فَلَمْ تَعْتَزِلْ بِخَيْرٍ جَعَلُوا يُبَايِعُونَ سَعْداً وَ هُمْ يَرْتَجِزُونَ ارْتِجَازَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَا سَعْدُ أَنْتَ الْمُرَجَّى وَ شَعْرُكَ الْمُرَجَّلُ وَ فَحْلُكَ الْمُرَجَّمُ.
455. Narrated to us Muhammad Bin Yahya, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Isa, from Al-Husayn Bin Saeed, from Ali Bin Al-No’man, from Abdullah Bin Muskaan, from Abdul Raheem Al-Qaseer who said: I said to Abu Ja’far عليه الصلاة والسلام that the people are appalled when we say that the people turned apostate’. So he عليه الصلاة والسلام said: ‘O Abdul Raheem, after the passing away of the Rasool Allah صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, the people turned to the terms of ignorance. The Helpers were isolated and their isolation was not in goodness. They went and pledged their allegiances to Sa’d and were shouting slogans of the era of ignorance, ‘O Sa’d, you are the hope, and you are the vessel, and the solution!’
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (16/334)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī, vol. 3, p. 402