Who are Shias

One night Amir’ul-Mu’mineen (as) was proceeding from the mosque towards the wilderness of Najaf. It was a moonlit night. He noticed some persons following behind him. He tarried and asked them, “Who are you?” They said, “Ya Imam! We are your Shi’as.” The Imam (as) looked at them and said, “Your appearances are not those of Shi’as!” The men said, “Ya Amir’ul-Mu’mineen ! How do your Shi’as look?” He replied, “With sleepless nights in prayer their faces will be flushed. As a result of excessive crying, their eyes look like the eyes of blind persons. Their backs will be hunched because of excessive genuflection in prayer. Because of spending most of the days in fasting their stomachs touch their backs. Because of constant prayer the lips of these persons will be dry and parched. Their fear of Allah (Khushu wa Khuzu) is reflected from their faces.”  Reference :Ain-Al Hayat, The Essence of Life