We have all encountered individuals in our daily lives who claim to be followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and consider themselves Shi’ah of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him). The truth is, the field for making such claims is vast, but what is the real criterion for distinguishing a true Shi’ah from a false claimant? This is an important issue that the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) have discussed time and time again, and they have taught us the characteristics and qualities of true Shi’ahs.
For example, Imam Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him) refers to one of the important traits of Shi’ahs, stating: “The person who is most knowledgeable about the rights of his brothers and the most diligent in fulfilling those rights, holds the highest rank and status with Allah. Whoever humbles himself for the sake of his brothers in this world will, in the eyes of Allah, be counted among the truthful ones (Siddiqs) and a true Shi’ah of Ali (peace be upon him).”
Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him) then refers to the conduct of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) in this regard and says: “One day, a father and his son, both companions of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), came to him. In their presence, the Imam stood up, honored them, and seated them at the head of the gathering while he himself sat next to them. He then ordered food to be brought.”
After the meal, Qambar (the Imam’s servant) brought a basin of water, a pitcher, and a towel to wash their hands. When Qambar began to pour the water on the man’s hands, Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) stood up, took the pitcher from him, and poured the water himself. The man, seeing this, became embarrassed and said: “O Amir al-Mu’minin, does God not see me, while you are pouring water on my hands?” The Imam replied: “Sit and wash your hands, for Allah, the Almighty, sees you while your brother serves you, and Allah will reward His servants with ten times as many as the people in the world for such a service. He will also reward them according to their places and regions.”
The man sat down, and Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) said to him: “I swear by Allah, I ask you to wash your hands as if Qambar is pouring water on them.” The man followed the Imam’s instruction, and after he finished, the Imam handed the pitcher to Muhammad al-Hanafiyyah (his son) and said: “O my son, if this man’s son were alone with me, I would still pour the water on his hands. But Allah does not allow that, when both father and son are in the same gathering, they should be treated equally. Therefore, the father receives the water from my hand, and the son receives it from his.” So, Muhammad al-Hanafiyyah poured the water on his son’s hands.
Imam Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him) then said: “So, whoever follows the example of Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (peace be upon him) in this quality (humility), he is truly a Shi’ah.”
(Adapted from the book Al-Ihtijaj ‘ala Ahl al-Lijaj by Ahmad ibn Ali al-Tabrasi, translated by Behrad Jafari)