Story No. 3

A wise young man was richly gifted in the arts and virtues, yet shy by nature. Whenever he sat in the gatherings of scholars, he held his tongue and said nothing. One day his father said: My son, you too should share what you know. He replied: I fear they will ask me about something I do not know, and then I will be ashamed. Haven't you heard how a Sufi was hammering a few nails under the soles of his own sandals? An officer grabbed him by the sleeve and said: Come here and nail some shoes onto my horse.