“Our lives have to be distinguished from the lives of the general public. Onlookers should be able to fully understand that these people (Ulamaa) are not seekers of the world, and wealth and riches are not their goal in life. Our work should be only for the sake of Allah Ta`ala as was the way of our (pious predecessors). As long as a marked difference does not appear in the akhlaaq of our Ulama fraternity and they do not instill within themselves the quality of serving others, they will not be able to influence others nor will they be respected. They will not be able to implant within the minds of others the respect and honour for Deen. The respect of the Ulamaa will never be created by reporting the size of the 'madrasahs' they run and the large number of students studying under them. Rather, the honour for Ulama is created by the way they portray themselves. When the general public notice that these Ulama consider it as taboo to lay their hands on that which they the general public will sacrifice their lives for (i.e. the material possessions etc.), nor do they show any concern for it, they will eventually say to themselves that we thought that riches were the ultimate in life but, in the eyes of the Ulama riches hold no weight.” (Tuhfat-ul-A’immah, p. 77)
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