The guardian scholar AbiAbdillah Mohammad bin Ahmad bin Shahryar Al-Khazen, narrated from the scholar Abu Abdillah Jaafar bin Mohammad bin Ahmad, from Abu Abdillah Ahmad bin Abdoon bin Ahmad Al-Bazzaz, from AbulMofazz’al Mohammad bin Abdullah Al-MuttALIb Al-Shaibani, from Ahmad bin Husain bin Adl Al-Anbari, who said:
When Abu Nu’aim Faz’l bin Dhakeen entered Rumailah in Baghdad, the scholars gathered and prepared a Minbar for him. He went on top of the Minbar and started preaching and narrating ahadith for people. However, because of the political climate he had to observe TAQIYYA.
So someone stood up from the crowd and said, “O Aba Nu’aim! Are you a Shia?”
Abu Nu’aim did not like his question and turned his face away from him and read the following poem, “I am still confined, and it is as if I cannot even speak Arabic. You can never be safe from the spies for as long as you live.”
But the person did not understand this answer and asked the same question again. So Abu Nu’aim replied:
I do not know what brought you to me and troubled me with you. Yes, I am a Shia. I heard Hasan bin Saleh bin Hay narrate from JAAFAR BIN MOHAMMAD (ASWS) who said, “Loving ALI BIN ABI TALEB (ASWS) is worshipping ALLAH (SWT), and the best way of worshipping ALLAH (SWT) is worshipping Him secretly.”
(Ref : Bihar Al Anwar 39:279)