Some religious scholars are truly intelligent while others are not. The latter group makes me think of someone I met at a friend's house. As soon as we were introduced, he led me to an empty corner and began giving me advice on top of advice - without my asking for any at all. It was as if he were trying to convert me to Islam.
I sat silently for a while, observing him and his gestures until I finally lost patience and said to him, "Don't you know, dear Sheikh, that I am a Muslim? My father's name is Muhammad and I have performed Haj, that I always fast in Ramadan and do not fail to pay my Zakah. I believe there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His prophet? And I pray five times every day."
He answered, "I know all of this." So I asked him, "Then what is it you want from me? You have given me a headache talking to me for more than a hour." He replied that he was just trying to remind me for my own good. At that point, I thanked him and excused myself and went to sit somewhere else.
Lucky me, the next person I sat beside was a character who happened to be the opposite of the sheikh. He had no rules or principles in his life whatsoever. Even though my acquaintance with this man is quite formal, he brought up complicated issues and topics, trying to prove how quick and sharp-witted he was. In simple words, he was trying to convince me that he's a know-it-all. I was soon obliged to find an excuse and move to another seat in the room.
This time, I looked carefully for an empty place to sit. Thankfully, I managed to sit alone, relaxing as I watched three children playing in the huge room. Suddenly, I saw the sheikh heading toward them and I was shocked to hear him interrupt their innocent game by asking a question.
"Would you like to go to heaven?" Two of the children answered affirmatively while the third was silent. The sheikh repeated his question and the third child answered straightforwardly, "No, I don't want to." The sheikh then asked him, "You don't want to go to heaven after you die?" The child said, "Of course I want to go to heaven after I die but when I saw how excited you were, I thought you wanted me to go now. I'd rather live some more and enjoy playing with my friends."
I immediately intervened, pretending that I wanted some more of the sheikh's advice. I promised to listen carefully but I just wanted him to leave those children alone so they could carry on enjoying themselves. He was as free as ever with his unsolicited advice and unsubstantiated assumptions but I bore the torture of listening to his broken record.
