The Progeny of the Prophet (PBUH&HP) as the appointed Imams by Almighty Allah has guide their real followers to how to be the real Shia Muslim and how to be a real Believer. Sheikh Sadoogh a one of the prominent Shia Scholars has written a book called Sefat Al-Shia (Attributes of a Shia) that narrated the authentic narrations and hadiths of the fourteen Infallibles including the Prophet and 12 Imams regarding how to be the real Shia follower. Here are some of narrations of the attributes of a real Shia in viewpoint of Infallibles (PBUTH).
(1) The Shia are the people of piety and diligence
Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: Our Shia are the people of piety and diligence, loyalty and honesty, and asceticism and worship. They perform fifty-one rakas in a single day and night. They pass their nights with worship and their days with fasting. They defray the zakat from their wealth, perform the hajj, and refrain from committing any forbidden thing.
(2) The Shia are those who submit to the Imams
Imam Abu al-Hasan Reza (a) said: Our (true) Shia are those who submit to our orders, carry out our directives, and dissent from our enemies. He who does not enjoy such characteristics is not one of us.
(3) The Shia and Taqiyah
Imam Jafar bin Muhammad as-Sadiq (a) said: The religion of those who deny Taqiyah is null and the faith of those who lack piety is null, too.
(4) The false Shiite
Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: He who claims being one of our Shia while he is clinging to the handle of somebody else is surely telling a lie.
(5) The Shia were created from the same clay of the Imams
Abu al-Hasan Imam Reza (a) said: He who antagonizes our Shia is antagonizing us and whoever follows them is following us, because they are part of us. They were created from the same clay from which we were created. He who loves them is one of us, and whoever hates them is not with us. Our Shia see through the light of Allah, move about in the mercy of Allah, and will win the dignity of Allah. We feel the same pains that any of our Shia feels during ailment, we become grieved whenever any of our Shia becomes grieved, and we feel happy whenever any of our Shia feels happy. No one of our Shia can be out of our auspices, whether he was in the east or the west of the earth. The debt that is left by any of our Shia is in our responsibility while the estate is his heirs. Our Shia are those who offer the prayers, defray the zakat, perform the hajj to the Holy House of Allah, fast during the month of Ramadan, declare their loyalty to the Prophets household, and declare their disavowal of the enemies of the Prophets household. Those are the people of faith, God-fearing, piety, and devoutness. He whoever rejects them is rejecting Allah, because they are the true servants and the genuine disciples of Allah. By Allah I swear, each individual of them will be granted (on the Day of Resurrection) the right to intercede for people as many as the individuals of the tribes of Rabeea and Madhar, out of Allah’s honor to them.
(6) The reward of la ilaha illa (Allah)
Imam Sadiq (a) said: He whoever says La ilaha illa (A)llah there is no god but Allah- sincerely will be in Paradise. Sincerity, here, means that this saying should prevent him from violating the things that Allah forbids.
(7) The reward of la ilaha illa (a)llah
The Prophet (s) said: He who says La ilaha illa (A)llah (i.e., There is no god but Allah) sincerely will be in Paradise. Sincerity, here, means that this saying should prevent him from violating the things that Allah forbids.
(8) The Shia are the God-fearing
Imam Sadiq (a) said that when the Prophet (s) conquered Mecca, he stood in Safa and said: O sons of Hashim and sons of Abdul-Muttalib, I am the messenger of Allah to all of you. I feel pity for you. Do not depend on the fact that Mohammed is from you. By Allah I swear, my followers, whether they are from your clan or any other clan, are only the God-fearing.
I will not admit you on the Day of Resurrection if you come to me burdened with the worldly disadvantages while others come with the advantages of the world to come. I am excused regarding my mission to you and the commandments of Allah for you. I have my own deeds and you will have your own deeds.
(9) The company of the evils and the company of the good
Amir ul-Mu’minin (a) said: To sit with the evils causes mistrust in the good. To sit with the good attaches the evils to the good. The sinful ones sitting with the good ones attaches the sinful ones to the good ones. If you cannot discern the belief of somebody, you should investigate his associates. If they are following the right creed, he will inevitably be on the right creed. If they are not, he then has no share in the religion of Allah.
The Prophet (s) used to say: He who believes in Allah and the Final Day should not fraternize with any disbeliever or associate with any sinful. He whoever fraternizes with a disbeliever or associates with a sinful one is certainly regarded as disbeliever and sinful.
(10) He who honors a dissident is not Shiite
Imam Reza (a) said: As for anyone who builds relations with somebody who disregards us, disregards somebody who builds good relations with us, praises somebody who reviles at us, or honors somebody who dissents from us, he is surely not one us and we are surely not from him.
(11) The loyalty to the enemies of Allah
Imam Reza (a) said: He who follows the enemies of Allah will certainly antagonize the disciples of Allah, and whoever antagonizes the disciples of Allah will antagonize Allah Who will incumbently put him in the fire of Hell.
(12) The Shia of Ali abstain from the food appetite and work for their Creator
Imam Sadiq(a) said: By Allah I swear, the Shia of Ali are only those who abstain from the food and the sexual appetites, work sincerely for the Creator, hope for gaining His reward, and fear from His punishment.
(13) Moralities of the Shia
Muhammad bin Ajlan said: I was with Imam Sadiq (a) when a man attended and greeted. The Imam asked him about the manners of his friends. The man praised, admired, and honored. The Imam asked: How about the rich mens visiting the poor? He answered: It is few. The Imam (a) asked: How about the rich men regarding and helping the poor? He said: You are referring to moralities that we do not enjoy. The Imam (a) said: How do they claim being Shia, then?
(14) The affection for the Prophets household
Imam Reza (a) said: Some of those who claim the affection for us the Prophets household- are more dangerous for our Shia than the ordeal of the Dajjal. I asked: How do such people become dangerous?
The Imam (a) answered: They support our enemies and antagonize our followers. When this occurs, the right will be confused with the wrong and the whole matter will be perplexed. Then, there will be no distinction between the believers and the hypocrites.
(15) The friend of Allah’s enemy is Allah’s enemy
Imam as-Sadiq (a) said: He who loves a disbeliever will hate Allah and whoever hates a disbeliever loves Allah. He (a) then added: The friend of Allah’s enemy is Allah’s enemy.
To be continued in the next article: http://The Attributes of a Real Shia Muslim Based on Narrations (2)
