Someone to Blame for the Fitnah in Early Islamic History

Regarding the fitnah (tribulations) faced by Muslims in the early history of Islam, the eighth caliph of the Umayyad Dynasty, ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz famously said as reported by Asbahāni:

ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz: "These bloodsheds, Allah has ⌜protected⌝ me from them, therefore I do not like to taint my tongue ⌜by mentioning⌝ them." — Asbahāni

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi, in one of his YouTube videos, paraphrases this original quote as: "That was a time when Allah saved us from unsheathing our swords. Now, let us save ourselves by keeping our tongues sheathed." I have included the paraphrased quote here to help those who are searching for the actual reported quote from ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz.

It may be natural to have an urge to try to put the blame and pass judgment on the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ when one learns about the difficult trials faced by the Ummah in early Islam. In such a case, we must remind ourselves of the status of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, in Sunni Islam.

Muḥammad b. ʿAbdurraḥmān > Aḥmad b. Ibrāhīm b. Makkawayh > Yūnus b. ʿAbdul Aʿlá > Shāfiʿī

It was asked of ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz: What to do say about the people of ⌜the Battle of⌝ Ṣiffīn? He said: "These bloodsheds, Allah has cleansed me from, therefore I do not like to stain my tongue with them." — Abū Nuʿaym al-Asbahāni's Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ wa-Ṭabaqāt al-Aṣfiyāʾ

Allah ﷻ says in the Holy Quran:

Baqarah 2:133 — That was a nation who has passed away. They shall receive the reward of what they earned and you of what you earn. And you will not be asked about what they used to do.