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The Meaning of Shi`ism according to the Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.)
Ayatullah Shaykh Muhammad Reza al-Muzaffar
The Holy Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (`a), after they knew that they would not hold the (political) leadership of the Muslim nation, dedicated their lives to disciplining and educating Muslims the way Almighty Allah wanted. They exerted all their efforts to teach their followers, in whom they confided their secrets, all the items of the religious laws as well as the knowledge of the Holy Prophet (s) and their rights and obligations.
The Holy Imams (`a), clearly defined a follower (i.e. Shi`ite) as only he who obeys the commands of Almighty Allah, forsakes personal whims and caprices, and accepts and adheres to their (i.e. the Imams) directives and teachings. Love for the Ahl al-Bayt (`a) is not sufficient to win salvation and deliverance from one’s duties toward Almighty Allah. It is a false notion that is chiefly adopted by those who hide themselves under coverings of serenity and lust and shun obedience to Almighty Allah under the pretense that their love for the Ahl al-Bayt (`a) would liberate them from religious responsibilities.
On the contrary, the Holy Imams (`a) do not consider one’s love for and loyalty to them as achievement of one’s duties toward the Lord unless such love and loyalty are firmly supported with righteous acts and noble traits of character like truthfulness, honesty, piety, and godliness. Confirming this fact, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (`a) says: O Khaythamah! Inform our adherents that we can be of no avail to them against Almighty Allah unless they themselves offer (righteous) actions. They shall not win our admission of their loyalty to us except by means of piety. Verily, the most regretful on the Day of Resurrection will be one who instructs righteousness but does not act in accordance with it.(28)
Because they believe that practical propagation is more effective than verbal, the Holy Imams (`a) desire and expect their followers to act as heralds of truth and guides of decency and orthodoxy. Hence, Imam al-Sadiq (`a) instructs his followers, saying: Act as heralds to goodness among people by means other than your tongues so that they can feel your perseverance, honesty, and piety.(29)
Let us now cite a number of instructive conversations of the Holy Imams (`a) with their followers to emphasize their concern about their refined moral behavior among the public: Imam al-Baqir’s (`a) conversation with Jabir al-Ju`fi “O Jabir! How come that it is sufficient to declare love for us—the Ahl al-Bayt—in order to be a Shi`ite? I swear by Allah that our true Shi`ah (followers) are none but those who fear and obey Allah. Their distinctive features are exclusive modesty, devoutness, fulfillment of trusts, constant reference to Almighty Allah, (much) observance of fasting, (much) offering of prayers, kindness to their parents, caring for the poor, the needy, the indebted, and the orphans from among their neighbors, truthfulness, (repeated) recitation of the Holy Qur'an, and holding their tongues except for uttering good. Moreover, they are always the most trustworthy of the members of their clans for keeping things.
So, (I recommend you to) fear Almighty Allah and work for winning that which He holds. None has kinship with Almighty Allah (due to which he may be favored); rather, the most favorite to Him among His servants are the most pious and the most abiding in obedience to Him.
O Jabir! I swear by Almighty Allah that we seek nearness to Him through no means other than obedience to Him. We do not have patents of release from Hellfire. Nobody has a pretext against Almighty Allah. He who is obedient to Almighty Allah is our follower while he who is disobedient to Him is our enemy. Admission to our loyalty can only be attained by means of good work and piety.
Imam al-Baqir’s Conversation with Sa`id ibn al-Hasan
The following conversation took place between Imam al-Baqir (`a) and Sa`id ibn al-Hasan, one of his disciples:
The Imam: Does it happen that one of you comes to his brother-in-faith and extends his hand to his pocket to take only as much as he needs, but the other does not push him back?
Sa`id: I have not noticed such a thing among us.
The Imam: Then, you are nothing. (i.e. you own nothing of Shi`ism)
Sa`id: This means that we are exposed to perdition!
The Imam: These people have not been endowed with (judicious) reasons yet.(30)
Imam al-Sadiq’s Conversation with Abu’l-Sabbah al-Kinani
The following conversation took place between Imam al-Sadiq (`a) and Abu’l-Sabbah al-Kinani:
Al-Kinani: Great is the extent of harassment we are suffering from people because of you!
The Imam: What kind of harassment are you encountering from people?
Al-Kinani: Whenever we dispute with someone, he immediately gibes at us, saying, ‘You are a malicious Ja`farite! (i.e. following Ja`far ibn Muhammad; Imam al-Sadiq)’â€
The Imam: So, people are gibing at you because of me!
Al-Kinani: Yes, they are.
The Imam: By Allah I swear; too few are those who follow ‘Ja`far’ among you! My followers are only those who show intense piety, dedicate their deeds to their Creator, and desire for His rewards. These are exclusively my followers.(31)
Aphorisms of Imam al-Sadiq
In this regard, Imam al-Sadiq (`a) stated many words of truth and wisdom, some of which are cited here: If one who claims following us lives in a country with a population of one hundred thousand or more but there is somebody in that country more pious than he is, then he is definitely not among our followers.(32)
We do not count one to be among the believers unless one willingly obeys all our commandments. Indeed, one of the features of obeying our commandments willingly is piety. Therefore, adorn yourselves with piety; may Allah have mercy upon you.(33)
He is not one of our Shi`ah (followers) about whose piety women secluding themselves to their private rooms do not talk. He is not one of our disciples who lives in a town in which ten thousand men live but there is somebody more pious than him living there.(34)
The real Shi`ah of Ja`far (i.e. Imam al-Sadiq) are exclusively those who chastely avoid the (unlawful) pleasures of stomachs and private parts, those who strive excessively (to attain Almighty Allah’s pleasure), and those who dedicate all their efforts to their Creator, hoping for His reward and fearing His punishment. If you see one enjoying these features, then (be it known to you that) he is one of the Shi`ah of Ja`far.(35)
28. () This is Imam Muhammad al-Baqir’s communiqué to his followers. See al-Kafi by al-Kulayni (AH 329), 2:176. The same tradition has been recorded in other reference books but with little difference, such as in Musadaqat al-Ikhwan by Shaykh al-Saduq (AH 381), pp. 34; Wasa'il al-Shi`ah by al-Hurr al-`Amili (AH 1104), 12:7, H.15501; al-Hikayat by Shaykh al-Mufid (AH 413), pp. 92; Mustatrafat al-Sara'ir by Ibn Idris al-Hilli (AH 598), pp. 625-626.
29. () This statement is one of Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq’s ('a) instructions to his followers. See al-Kafi by al-Kulayni (AH 329), 2:105, H. 10, Section: bab al-sidq wa-ada' al-amanah (Honesty and Fulfillment of Trusts). A similar tradition is mentioned in 2:77, 78, 105; Wasa'il al-Shi`ah by al-Hurr al-`Amili (AH 1104), 12:162, H.15955, Section: bab wujub al-sidq (Obligation of Honesty); Mishkat al-Anwar fi Ghurar al-Akhbar by al-Tabrisi (the seventh century of Hijrah), pp. 30.
30. () See al-Kafi by al-Kulayni (AH 329), 2:174. A similar tradition is mentioned in Kitab al-Mu'min by al-Kufi al-Ahwazi (before AH 300), pp. 44 (The English version of this book is entitled ‘Kitab al-Mu'min: The Book of the Believer’; Qum: Ansariyan Publications, 2002); Wasa'il al-Shi`ah by al-Hurr al-`Amili (AH 1104), 5:120, H. 6090 & 9:428, H.12406.
31. () See al-Kafi by al-Kulayni (AH 329), 2:77, Section: bab al-wara` (Piety), H.6. The last paragraph of the tradition in which Imam al-Sadiq ('a) mentions the qualities of his real followers are recorded in al-Kafi by al-Kulayni (AH 329), 2:236, Section: bab al-mu'min `alamatuhu wa sifatuhu (Features and Qualities of Believers), H.23; Sharh al-Akhbar by al-Qadhi al-Nu`man al-Maghribi (AH 363), 3:503, H.1445; Ikhtiyar Ma`rifat al-Rijal by Shaykh al-Tusi (AH 460), 2:525; Wasa'il al-Shi`ah by al-Hurr al-`Amili (AH 1104), 15:244, H.20398.
32. () See al-Kafi by al-Kulayni (AH 329), 2:78, Section: bab al-wara` (Piety), H.10. A similar tradition is mentioned in Sharh al-Akhbar by al-Qadhi al-Nu`man al-Maghribi (AH 363), 3:501, H.1437; Mustatrafat al-Sara'ir by Ibn Idris al-Hilli (AH 598), pp. 639; Mishkat al-Anwar fi Ghurar al-Akhbar by al-Tabrisi (the seventh century of Hijrah), pp. 138.
33. () See al-Kafi by al-Kulayni (AH 329), 2:78, Section: bab al-wara` (Piety), H.13; Wasa'il al-Shi`ah by al-Hurr al-`Amili (AH 1104), 15:243, H.20391, Section: bab wujub al-wara` (Obligation of Piety), H.1; Alfu Hadithin fi’l-Mu'min by al-Najafi (contemporary), pp. 261, H.786.
34. () See al-Kafi by al-Kulayni (AH 329), 2:79, Section: bab al-wara` (Piety), H.15; Wasa'il al-Shi`ah by al-Hurr al-`Amili (AH 1104), 15:246, H.204040, Section: bab wujub al-wara` (Obligation of Piety).
35. () See al-Khisal by Shaykh al-Saduq (AH 381), pp. 295-296, Section: bab al-khamsah: khamsun ma athqalahunna fi’l-mizan (The Five Weightiest Things In the Divine Scale), H.63; Sifat al-Shi`ah by Shaykh al-Saduq (AH 381), pp. 11; Wasa'il al-Shi`ah by al-Hurr al-`Amili (AH 1104), 15:251, H.20425, Section: bab wujub al-`iffah (Obligation of Chastity), H.13.
Imam al-Sadiq ('a) is reported to have said, “The Shi`ah of `Ali are those who practice chastity as regards their stomachs… etc.â€
See al-Kafi by al-Kulayni (AH 329), 2:233, Section: bab al-mu'min `alamatuhu wa sifatuhu (Features and Qualities of Believers), H.9; Wasa'il al-Shi`ah by al-Hurr al-`Amili (AH 1104), 1:86, H.204, Section: bab ta'akkud istihbab al-jidd wa’l-ijtihad fi’l-`ibadah (Confirmation on the Recommendation of Hardwork and Painstakingness in Worship), H.7; Mishkat al-Anwar fi Ghurar al-Akhbar by al-Tabrisi (the seventh century of Hijrah), pp. 119.
To identify a true Shi`ite and loyalist of the Ahl al-Bayt ('a), the reader is advised to see al-Kafi by al-Kulayni (AH 329), Section: bab al-mu'min `alamatuhu wa sifatuhu (Features and Qualities of Believers), H.1 in which Imam `Ali Amir al-Mu'minin ('a) mentions about one hundred features of true believers.
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