Some years he would come to Mahallat in summers. In the summer of 1946 when he arrived in Mahallat, the religious authorities of the town who were devotees of the Imam requested for a mosque to be placed at their disposal so that people benefited from his presence. He refused and asked to be left alone and that they continue with their own business. After a few days had passed of the blessed month of Ramadan, a group of people said that now that he had not accepted to hold congregational prayer, at least he should accept to deliver sermons so that some people could benefit from his presence. Finally, after being convinced, Imam agreed to deliver a sermon which would be held in the blessed month of Ramadan at 5 p.m. at the mosque located in the center of the town. Imam would sit on the ground at the base of a pillar while the crowd sat around him. In this session I noticed a couple of noteworthy points that I will never forget. One was that on the first day when, the religious authorities and clergymen came to participate and the session had ended, Imam stated to them that if they wanted to participate, he would stop these sessions because they must safeguard their social status. The second point was that it was customary that if a clergyman would enter, out of respect, somebody in the crowd would invoke salutations for him. Here too there was a person who as soon as Imam entered would urge the crowd to invoke salutations for him. On the first day that the crowd had invoked salutations of peace on Prophet Muhammad (s.a.) and his immaculate household (a.s.), the Imam asked to see that person after the session had ended and stated: “Are the salutations that you invoke for my entrance or for the Honorable Prophet of Islam? If you are invoking the salutations for the Honorable Prophet of Islam (s), then invoke it at another time and in case it is for the sake of my entrance to the mosque, then I am not acquiescent.” I remember one point from the session that the Imam stated in a very simple language that: “Beloved Muslim brethren, you who have discovered flannel suit and wear them and with wearing a flannel suit your state of mind changes and you become proud. Have you ever thought for yourself that of what material these flannel suits are made from? Is it not made of the wool that covers the back of a sheep? Before this, the sheep was wearing the same wool and was not proud of it whereas now that same wool has been woven and dyed, and has been made into a suit, suddenly it has changed your state of mind. What a misfortune it is that we content ourselves with such baseless things!”
I am not acquiescent that you invoke salutations for me: Hujjat al-Islam Sorush Mahallati, ibid., pp. 141-142