Ṣifāt al-Shīʿa
A short work of Shaykh al-Ṣadūq (d. 381/991) setting out what the Shīʿa are held to be — the conduct, obligations and character the narrations attach to the name. It reads as a standard rather than a description: how such a person prays, deals in the market, speaks of others and keeps trusts, with several reports stating plainly that the name without the conduct is not the thing, and others distinguishing those who follow the Imams in loyalty alone from those who follow them in practice. Brief and pointed, and ordinarily read alongside Faḍaʾil al-Shīʿa, which takes the other side of the same subject.
Chapters
- 1. Shia virtues of piety and worship 1 hadith
- 2. Rejecting ties with opponents of the Ahl al-Bayt (as) 1 hadith
- 3. Opposing Allah's disciples leads to Hellfire 1 hadith
- 4. Piety through abstinence and devotion 1 hadith
- 5. Critique of Shia moral shortcomings 1 hadith
- 6. False claimants of loyalty endanger Shia unity 1 hadith
- 7. Divine allegiance through disbeliever relations 1 hadith
- 8. Avoiding association with suspicious individuals 1 hadith
- 9. Nasibi defined as covert hostility toward Prophet's (sw) household 1 hadith
- 10. Shia of Ali's (as) virtues and piety 1 hadith
- 11. Characteristics of Ali's (sw) devout followers 1 hadith
- 12. Shia adherence to divine directives and opposition to enemies 1 hadith
- 13. Characteristics of True Shia Followers 1 hadith
- 14. Characteristics of Imam Jafar's (as) true Shia 1 hadith
- 15. True Shia characteristics and divine obedience 1 hadith
- 16. Shia virtues of mutual support and moral conduct 1 hadith
- 17. Shia of Ali (as) characterized by ascetic appearance 1 hadith
- 18. Characteristics of the True Shia of Ali (as) 1 hadith
- 19. Preference for quality over quantity of Shia followers 1 hadith
- 20. Shia openness due to faith's sweetness 1 hadith
- 21. Varied Devotions with Knowledge as the Highest Virtue 1 hadith
- 22. Religious devotion and adversaries' enmity 1 hadith
- 23. Denial of taqiyah nullifies religion 1 hadith
- 24. Shia exemption from maternal naming on Judgment Day 1 hadith
- 25. Guidance on maintaining dignity and discretion among adversaries 1 hadith
- 26. Shia characteristics and virtues according to Abu Abdullah (as) 1 hadith
- 27. Characteristics of true Shia devotion 1 hadith
- 28. Characteristics of the Shia in Islamic tradition 1 hadith
- 29. The characteristics and virtues of the pious 1 hadith
- 30. True believer's balance in rage and satisfaction 1 hadith
- 31. Heart's piety over outward weeping 1 hadith
- 32. Commanding piety and fulfilling communal duties 1 hadith
- 33. Ethical conduct and virtues of Shiite adherents 1 hadith
- 34. Shia identity and exclusive allegiance to Imams 1 hadith
- 35. Critiques of false Shia claims 1 hadith
- 36. Essential beliefs in Shia Islam 1 hadith
- 37. Believers' character and steadfastness in faith 1 hadith
- 38. Believers as trustworthy and sin-avoiding Muslims 1 hadith
- 39. Displeasure with evil and pleasure with good define a believer 1 hadith
- 40. Believers' dignity and resisting desires 1 hadith
- 41. Leprosy as a divine curse avoided by the faithful 1 hadith
- 42. Believer's steadfastness surpassing iron 1 hadith
- 43. Unity and origin of true believers 1 hadith
- 44. Winter as the believer's spiritual spring 1 hadith
- 45. The bond between Imam ar-Ridha (as) and his Shia 1 hadith
- 46. Believers insured against Hereafter's blindness 1 hadith
- 47. Believers are never unblessed 1 hadith
- 48. Three virtues of perfect faith 1 hadith
- 49. Trustworthiness and steadfastness over luxury 1 hadith
- 50. Attributes of the ideal believer 1 hadith
- 51. The true believer's power and fearlessness in faith 1 hadith
- 52. Believer's dominion over creation through sincerity 1 hadith
- 53. Heavenly beings perceive believers' radiant lights 1 hadith
- 54. Divine victory through enemy disobedience 1 hadith
- 55. Traits incompatible with true belief 1 hadith
- 56. The virtue of sincere declaration of faith in Islam 1 hadith
- 57. Believer's self-righteousness and sincerity 1 hadith
- 58. Essential traits of a faithful believer from divine sources 1 hadith
- 59. Angelic perception of human intentions and deeds 1 hadith
- 60. Devout worship and fear of the Day of Resurrection 1 hadith
- 61. Prophet's (sw) description of the best servants 1 hadith
- 62. Loving and hating for the sake of Allah through allegiance to Ali (as) 1 hadith
- 63. Virtues and rewards of the righteous in Islam 1 hadith
- 64. Exclusive noble character traits of Rasulullah (s) 1 hadith
- 65. Islamic creed and Imamate succession in Shia belief 1 hadith
- 66. Essential Shia beliefs in ascension, afterlife, and intercession 1 hadith
- 67. The sincerity of declaring monotheism in Islam 1 hadith
- 68. Denial of Midnight Ascension contradicts Rasulullah 1 hadith
- 69. Core tenets of Shia Islamic belief and Imamate 1 hadith
- 70. Prophet's (sw) warning to Hashimites on Judgment Day 1 hadith
- 71. The influence of association on moral and religious character 1 hadith
About this collection
Ṣifāt al-Shīʿa
A short work of al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq (d. 381/991) setting out what the Shīʿa are held to be: the conduct, obligations and character the narrations attach to the name. It holds 71 reports in this edition.
It reads as a standard rather than a description — how such a person prays, deals in the market, speaks of those absent, keeps a trust, bears a hardship. Several reports state plainly that the name without the conduct is not the thing, and others distinguish those who follow the Imams in loyalty alone from those who follow them in practice. The tone is demanding rather than congratulatory, which is worth noticing given how the subject is often handled.
It is ordinarily read and printed alongside Faḍaʾil al-Shīʿa, its companion piece, which takes the other side of the same subject: that book sets out what is promised, this one what is expected. Both are brief, both are al-Ṣadūq’s, and each is easily misread without the other.