Hawzah News Agency (Karbala, Iraq) - At the Friday sermon in the city of Karbala which was held at Imam Hussain (a.s.) holy shrine, Hujjat al-Islam Abdul Mahdi Karbalaei stressed on Ahlulbayt's (a.s.) great attention to the reality and principle of Shia school of thought, and said our blessed Imams (a.s.) warned those who thought they were followers of Ahlulbayt (a.s.), but did not adhere to their teachings.

Grand Ayatollah Sistani's representative went on to say, "Many people think it is enough for a Shia to only recognize Infallible Imams' high place, love them and claim to be related to them. But there are many Hadiths that called this notion a misconception, so we should get out of this illusion and realize what characteristics are required for one to become a true Shia of Ahlulbayt."

Hujjat al-Islam Karbalaei asserted, "There are a number of features that indicate the true orientation toward the Ahlulbayt, such as worship, morality, social solidarity, the existence of kindness in the hearts of believers, trust, truthfulness, order and a correct lifestyle. If one is committed to these qualities, he/she is a Shia of Ahlulbayt (a.s)."

The Shia cleric added, "If one is happy in Ahlulbayt's happiness and sad in their sadness, but lies, backbites or swears, he/she is not a true Shia, but merely a lover of Ahlulbayt."