Rather...

Rather, their heart's slogan was as the Persian hemistich says: We are ashamed why we have remained alive. He who has even a slight brilliance of these qualities can alone be called the follower of the Descendants of the Prophet or the Shi`ah of `Ali, otherwise it would be a word which has lost its meaning and been bereft of its dignity through misuse.

Thus tradition has it that Amir al-mu'minin saw a group of men at his door and enquired from Qanbar who they were and he answered they were his Shi`ahs. On hearing this Amir al-mu'minin had a frown on his forehead and said. "Why are they called Shi`ahs? They have no sign of Shi`ahs." Thereupon Qanbar enquired what were the signs of Shi`ahs and Amir al-mu'minin replied: Their bellies are thin through hunger, their lips dry through thirst and their eyes bleared through weeping. Previous…