The baker was about to give him the bread when an older Muslim ascetic, who daily received a loaf from the shop, arrived.
The baker looked at the emaciated child with pity and then told the Muslim ascetic, "Today you will not get bread because I am giving your portion to your little brother."
The old ascetic became incensed at being denied his alms and began quarreling with the shopkeeper, "I am a true fakir!" he shouted. "This boy is false. Are you really going to feed this rascal instead of me?"
"You get bread every day," the baker reasoned. "Why are you grumbling if I give it once to a chance wanderer, especially one so young?"
The fakir gave Sheriar a contemptuous glance and then retorted, "You call this brat a dervish? You fool, I am a true fakir! This boy is nothing but a beggar!"
The heated quarrel went on while a crowd began to gather. At last the fakir said, "If this boy is a real dervish who loves God and is not a hypocrite, I challenge him to answer my questions."
Sheriar was ashamed of the fakir's rude behavior and wanted to avoid a debate. But the shopkeeper and others in the crowd urged him to accept the challenge, so a vigorous debate about God ensued. With sharp wit and keen intelligence, the boy replied to every question the fakir could pose, and the crowd cheered him on. The fakir, who had gotten the worst of it, was thoroughly embarrassed. He retreated under a barrage of abuse from the crowd, while Sheriar was rewarded with a delicious supper.
There were times when Sheriar would travel with other renunciants. Once while walking along with three older dervishes, he took refuge with them in a dense forest. Sitting around the campfire, the three dervishes boasted of their travels, courage and wisdom. In their eyes, their younger companion was a mere initiate on the spiritual path. When their pride got the better of them, one said, "Were a tiger to appear before me, I have the strength to kill it with my bare hands."
The second responded, "I could reduce the beast to ashes with my sight alone."
The last bragged, "I would tame it and ride on its back and journey from place to place."
Sheriar kept quiet, knowing he possessed no such powers. The next day, as they were wandering through the forest, they spotted a python, and the three, who had been boasting of their bravery the night before, ran away in fright.
