Three Categories of the Shi‘a

Hawzah News Agency- Imam Sadiq (a.s) said:

الشِّیعَهُ ثَلَاثٌ مُحِبٌّ وَادٌّ فَهُوَ مِنَّا وَ مُتَزَیِّنٌ بِنَا وَ نَحْنُ زَیْنٌ لِمَنْ تَزَیَّنَ بِنَا وَ مُسْتَأْکِلٌ بِنَا النَّاسَ وَ مَنِ اسْتَأْکَلَ بِنَا افْتَقَرَ.

The Shi‘a are of three types:

1. A loving devotee who is from us;

2. One who adorns himself through us, and we are an adornment for whoever adorns himself through us;

3. and One who consumes [the resources of] the people through us—and whoever consumes [others] through us shall become destitute.

Al-Khisal,Book 3,Hadith 61