Characteristics of true Shia devotion
Ṣifāt al-Shīʿa|Volume 1|Book 1|Chapter 33
حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُوسَى اَلْمُتَوَكِّلُ رَحِمَهُ اَللَّهُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اَللَّهِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ اَلْحِمْيَرِيُّ عَنِ اَلْأَصْبَغِ بْنِ نُبَاتَةَ قَالَ : خَرَجَ عَلِيٌّ ع ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ وَ نَحْنُ مُجْتَمِعُونَ فَقَالَ مَنْ أَنْتُمْ وَ مَا اِجْتِمَاعُكُمْ فَقُلْنَا قَوْمٌ مِنْ شِيعَتِكَ يَا أَمِيرَ اَلْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقَالَ مَا لِي لاَ أَرَى سِيمَاءَ اَلشِّيعَةِ عَلَيْكُمْ فَقُلْنَا وَ مَا سِيمَاءُ اَلشِّيعَةِ فَقَالَ ع صُفْرُ اَلْوُجُوهِ مِنْ صَلاَةِ اَللَّيْلِ عُمْشُ اَلْعُيُونِ مِنْ مَخَافَةِ اَللَّهِ ذُبُلُ اَلشِّفَاهِ مِنَ اَلصِّيَامِ عَلَيْهِمْ غَبَرَةُ اَلْخَاشِعِينَ .
Mohammed bin Musa bin al-Mutawakkil, Allah may have mercy upon him, narrated to me from Abdullah bin Ja’far al-Himyari from … al-Asbagh bin Nubata related: We were gathering when Amir ul-Mu’minin عليه السلام went out and asked about the reason of our gathering. “We are your Shia, Amir ul-Mu’minin,” we answered. He said, “But I cannot see the marks of the Shia on your faces.” “What are the marks of the Shia?” asked we. He عليه السلام spoke: The Shia are pale-faced because of staying up at nights for offering prayers, bleary-eyed because of fear of Allah, and dry-lipped because of fasting. The dust of the submissive covers them.