During the First Fitna (literally “trial”) period of dissension and civil war (656-661) between Imam Ali Ibn Abu Talib and Muawiyah I, Imran did not just hold a neutral position, but appealed to people to abstain from violence. Imran is recorded as having said, "I would prefer to be a shepherd on top of a mountain till I die rather than shoot an arrow at anyone in either party, right or wrong." Any Muslim he encountered, Imran would advise them by saying, "Keep to your mosque. If it is broken into forcefully, then keep indoors. If the doors are broken into forcefully by someone who aims at taking your life and wealth, then fight him."