It is a vice for the religious scholars to wish for worldly fame. It is not the task of the human beings to place magnificence [of a sage] in someone’s heart. This magnificence is an attraction that emanates from the Will of God. What are we doing that thousands of individuals are attracted to us; it is only God’s attraction. Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of these individuals had nothing to do with it.
A story is written in Mathnawi that there was a wealthy man, but unfortunately, he had very little intellect. He was going on a journey. He loaded his donkey with a sack of jewels on one side of the saddle and added a bag of sand on the other side of the saddle to balance the load. On the way, a wise man met him who was famished, wearing ragged clothes and no turban on his head. He advised the wealthy man, ‘Why did you not load half the jewels on each side? You are hurting the animal unnecessarily.’
The wealthy man replied, ‘I do not wish to use your intellect. Misfortune is associated with your intellect. Therefore, I do not accept the advice of an unfortunate person like you.’
(Malfuzat, Vol. 5, p. 384)