1. …The true follower of Ahlul Bayt (a)
Who is Shia ?
…The true follower of Ahlul Bayt (a)

2. Perhaps... one may think that the Shia of Ahlul Bayt (a) is someone who is born in a shia family, or someone who participates in the azadari of Imam Husain (a)… someone who only claims to love Prophet (s) and His Ahlul Bayt (a)... but has nothing to do with obedience to the teachings of Islam…

3. الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : شِيعَتِي واللَّهِ ، الحُلَماءُ ، العُلَماءُ بِاللَّهِ ودِينِهِ ، العامِلونَ بطاعَتِهِ وأمرِهِ ، المُهتَدُونَ بِحُبِّهِ ، أنضاءُ عِبادَةٍ ، أحلاسُ زَهادَةٍ ، صُفرُ الوُجوهِ مِن التَّهَجُّد...ِ
Imam Ali (a): My Shias ! By God ! The forbearers, the knowledgeable of God and His religion, actively following Him and His orders, guided by His love, appear weak because of worship, seekers of seclusion for their piousness, of pale complexion because of their night prayers…

4. ... عُمشُ العُيونِ مِن البُكاءِ ، ذُبُلُ الشِّفاهِ مِن الذِّكرِ ، خُمصُ البُطونِ مِنَ الطِّوى ، تُعرَفُ الرَّبّانيَّةُ في وُجُوهِهِم ، والرَّهبانيَّةُ في سَمتِهِم ، مَصابيحُ كُلِّ ظُلمَةٍ...
…their eyes are weak because of weeping, their lips are dry because of remembrance of God, their stomachs are sunken because of eating in moderation, their faces reveal Godliness, and simplicity is apparent from their appearance, they are guiding lights in every darkness…

5. ... إن شَهِدُوا لَم يُعرَفُوا ، وإن غابوا لَم يُفتَقَدُوا ، اُولئكَ شِيعَتِي الأطيَبُونَ وإخواني الأكرَمُونَ ، ألا هاه شَوقاً إلَيهِم
…they are not recognized even when seen, they are not remembered when not present, these are my pure shias and my respected brothers. Ah ! I wish so much to meet them…
[al-Amali, Toosi, p. 1189, hadith # 576]

6. [Tuhaf al-Uqool, hadith # 295]
الإمامُ الباقرُ عليه السلام : ما شِيعَتُنا إلّا مَنِ اتَّقى اللَّهَ وأطاعَهُ ، وما كانوا يُعرَفُونَ إلّا بالتَّواضُعِ والتَّخَشُّعِ وأداءِ الأمانَةِ وكَثرَةِ ذِكرِ اللَّهِ
Imam al-Baqir (a): No one is our shia except by the fear of God and His obedience, and they are not recognized except by their humbleness, reverence, trustworthiness, and abundance of remembrance of God.
[Tuhaf al-Uqool, hadith # 295]

7. الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : شِيعَتُنا أهلُ الوَرَعِ والاجتِهادِ ، وأهلُ الوَفاءِ والأمانَةِ ، وأهلُ الزُّهدِ والعِبادَةِ ، أصحابُ إحدى وخَمسينَ رَكعَةً في اليَومِ واللَّيلَةِ...
Imam al-Sadiq (a) : Our shias are those who are pious and men of solid opinion, they are loyal and trustworthy, they are men of piety and worship, they pray fifty one rak’ats prayers during day and night…

8. ، القائمونَ باللَّيلِ ، الصائمونَ بالنَّهارِ ، يُزَكُّونَ أموالَهُم ، ويَحُجُّونَ البَيتَ ، ويَجتَنِبُونَ كُلَّ مُحَرَّمٍ
…they are usually awake in the night, they observe fasts during the day, they purify their property (by paying poor-rate) they perform Hajj of Ka’aba, they abstain from all that which is forbidden.
[al-Bihar, v.68, p. 167, hadith # 23]

9. الإمامُ الباقرُ عليه السلام : لا تَذهَبْ بِكُمُ المَذاهِبُ ، فوَاللَّهِ ما شِيعَتُنا إلّا مَن أطاعَ اللَّهَ عَزَّوجلَّ
Imam al-Baqir (a): You shouldn’t be mislead by different views (in Islam), for by God nobody is our shia except by obedience to God, the powerful and magnificent.
[al-Kafi, v.2, p. 73, hadith # 1]

10. الإمامُ الكاظمُ عليه السلام
الإمامُ الكاظمُ عليه السلام... : شِيعَةُ عَلِيٍّ مَن صَدَّقَ قَولَهُ فِعلُهُ
Imam al-Kazim (a) : … the Shia of Ali (a) is the one whose action testifies his words.
[al-Kafi, v.8, p. 228, hadith # 290]

11. الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : شيعَتُنا هُمُ العارِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ ، العامِلُونَ بِأمرِ اللَّهِ ، أهلُ الفَضائلِ ، الناطِقُونَ بالصَّوابِ ، مَأكُولُهُم القُوتُ ، ومَلبَسُهُمُ الاقتِصادُ
Imam Ali (a): Our Shia are those who are gnostics of Allah, they act according to the orders of God, they possess excellences, they speak only truth, their food is limited to gaining strength, their dress is simple….

12. ، ومَشيُهُمُ التَّواضُعُ
، ومَشيُهُمُ التَّواضُعُ ... تَحسَبُهُم مَرضى وقد خُولِطُوا وما هُم بذلكَ ، بَل خامَرَهُم مِن عَظَمَةِ رَبِّهم وشِدَّةِ سُلطانِهِ ما طاشَت لَهُ قُلُوبُهُم ، وذَهِلَتْ مِنهُ عُقولُهُم
...their behavior is humble, you think that they have lost their senses, but its not like that, instead, the greatness of their Lord has made them oblivion and His power has overwhelmed their hearts and taken over their intellects…

13. ، فإذا اشتاقُوا مِن ذلكَ بادَرُوا إلى اللَّهِ تعالى بِالأعمالِ الزَّكِيَّةِ ، لا يَرضَونَ لَهُ بالقَليلِ ، ولا يَستَكثِرُونَ لَهُ الجَزِيلَ
…So when they strongly wish of Him, they promptly strive to do pure actions before God, the most High; they are not happy with few good actions, and they never take their abundant good actions to be sufficient.
[al-Bihar, v.78, p. 29, hadith # 96]

14. الإمامُ الباقرُ عليه السلام - في صِفةِ الشِّيعَةِ - : إنّهُم حُصونٌ حَصينَةٌ ، في صُدورٍ أمينَةٍ ، وأحلامٌ رَزينَةٌ ، لَيسُوا بِالمذايِيعِ البُذُرِ ، ولا بالجُفاةِ المُرائينَ ، رُهبانٌ باللَّيلِ اُسْدٌ بالنَّهارِ
Imam al-Baqir (a): (describing the attributes of Shias): They are like strong fortress, their chests are trustworthy, they are men of prudence and self-control, they are not extravagant, they are neither oppressors nor ostentatious, they are devoted worshippers in night and brave like lion in day.
[Mishkat al-Anwar, p. 62]

15. الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : لَيسَ مِن شِيعَتِنا مَن يكونُ في مِصرٍ يكونُ فيهِ آلافٌ ويكونُ في المِصرِ أورَعَ مِنهُ
Imam al-Sadiq (a) : He is not from our shia who lives in a population of several thousand people and someone else is more pious than him among them.
[al-Bihar al-Anwar, vol.2, p. 80, hadith # 76]

16. الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : لَيسَ مِن شِيعَتِنا مَن قالَ بِلِسانِهِ وخالَفَنا في أعمالِنا وآثارِنا
Imam al-Sadiq (a): He is not from our Shia who accepts us by only his tongue and is against our actions and our legacy.
[al-Bihar al-Anwar, v.68, p. 164, hadith # 13]

17. الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : اِمتَحِنُوا شِيعَتَنا عِندَ ثَلاثٍ : عِندَ مَواقيتِ الصلَواتِ كيفَ مُحافَظَتُهُم علَيها ، وعِندَ أسرارِهِم كيفَ حِفظُهُم لَها عَن عَدُوِّنا ، وإلى أموالِهِم كيفَ مُواساتُهُم لإِخوانِهم فيها
Imam al-Sadiq (a) : Test our shias on three occasions: At the time of prayers as to how they safeguard their prayers, and when they have a secret as to how they keep them from our enemies and by their properties (and wealth) as to how they spend on their brethren.
[al-Bihar, v.83, p. 22, hadith # 40]

18. الامام الصّادق عليه السلام : إنّما شِيعَةُ عليٍّ مَن عَفَّ بَطنُهُ وفَرجُهُ ، واشتَدَّ جِهادُهُ ، وعَمِلَ لِخالِقِهِ ، ورَجا ثَوابَهُ ، وخافَ عِقابَهُ ، فإذا رأيتَ اُولئكَ فاُولئكَ شِيعَةُ جعفرٍ
Imam al-Sadiq (a): Verily the shia of Ali is the one who is purified of (influence of) stomach and sexual desires, and intense is his struggle...and his action is for his creator, and his hope is for divine reward and he is afraid of his end so if you see someone like that, then that is the shia of Ja’far (Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq).
[al-Kafi, v.2, p. 233, hadith # 9]

19. الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : ليسَ مِن شِيعَتِنا مَن أنكَرَ أربَعةَ أشياءَ : المِعراجَ ، والمُساءَلَةَ فِي القَبرِ ، وخَلقَ الجَنَّةِ والنارِ ، والشَّفاعَةَ
Imam al-Sadiq (a) : He is not from our shias who denies four things: Mairaj (heavenly ascension of Prophet (s)), and questioning in grave, and creation of heaven and hell and shafa’at (intercession).
[al-Bihar al-Anwar, v.69, p. 9, hadith # 11]

20. الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : إنّما شِيعَتُنا يُعرَفُونَ بخِصالٍ شَتّى : بالسَّخاءِ والبَذلِ لِلإخوانِ ، وبأن يُصَلُّوا الخَمسينَ لَيلاً ونهاراً
Imam al-Sadiq (a): Verily our shias are known for their following attributes: By their generosity towards their brethren and by their praying of fifty one rak’ats of prayers during night and day.
[Tuhaf al-Uqool, hadith #303]

21. الإمامُ الكاظمُ عليه السلام : ليسَ مِن شيعَتِنا مَن خَلا ثُمّ لَم يَرُعْ قلبُهُ
Imam al-Kazim (a) said : He is not from our shia whose heart is not afraid of God in his loneliness.
[Basaer al-Darajat, p. 247, hadith # 10]

22. الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : شِيعَتُنا المُتَباذِلُونَ في وَلَايتِنا ، المُتَحابُّونَ في مَوَدَّتِنا المُتَزاوِرُونَ في إحياءِ أمرِنا…
Imam Ali (a) : Our Shias…they spend on each other for the sake of our wilayah, they love each other for the sake of our love, they visit each other for the sake of keeping alive our affair…

23. …الذينَ إن غَضِبُوا لَم يَظلِمُوا ، وإن رَضُوا لَم يُسرِفُوا ، بَرَكَةٌ على مَن جاوَرُوا ، سِلمٌ لِمَن خالَطُوا
…they never oppress if they become angry with someone and they never become extravagant in their happiness, they are mercy for their neighbors, and a source of peace and security for those who live with them.
[al-Kafi, v.2, p. 236, hadith # 24]

24. So…it is not easy to claim for a Muslim to be a shia of Ahlul Bayt (a)… It demands a lot of continuous struggle and hardship in the way of God to become a true follower of Ahlul Bayt (a)... That is why the Prophet of God (s) has said…

25. رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وآله :يا عليُّ ،
رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وآله :يا عليُّ ، ... هذا حَبيبي جَبرَئيلُ يُخبِرُني عنِ اللَّهِ جَلَّ جلالُهُ أ نّهُ قد أعطى مُحِبَّكَ وشِيعَتَكَ سَبعَ خِصالٍ...
Prophet of God (s): O Ali…my friend here Gabriel has informed me from God, the magnificent that certainly He has blessed your lovers and your shia with seven attributes…

26. ... الرِّفقَ عندَ المَوتِ ، والاُنسَ عندَ الوَحشَةِ ، والنورَ عندَ الظُّلمَةِ ، والأمنَ عندَ الفَزَعِ ، والقِسطَ عندَ المِيزانِ ، والجَوازَ على الصِّراطِ ،
…ease at the time of death… and familiarity in the loneliness…and light in the darkness (of grave)… and peace in the fear (of the day of judgment) …and justice when the deeds will be judged… and crossing of the (bridge) sirat…

27. ودُخولَ الجَنَّةِ قَبلَ سائرِ الناسِ مِن الاُمَمِ بثَمانينَ عاماً
…And entry in the paradise eighty years before all other human beings.
[al-Bihar al-Anwar, v. 68, p. 4, hadith # 9]

28. عنه صلى الله عليه وآله : شِيعَةُ عَلِيٍّ هُمُ الفائزُونَ يَومَ القِيامَةِ
The Prophet of God (s): The Shia of Ali, they will be successful on the day of Judgment.
[al-Amali, Toosi, p. 104, hadith # 72]