Imam Al-Ghazali has written extensively in his works Ihya 'ulum al-din.
Here is a piece from the works and I mused at it when reading it one day … Thought I would share it with all …
translation by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad. (TJ Winter)
“Similarly with the man whose hobby is pigeons, who may stand all day in the hot sun without feeling any pain due to the pleasure he takes in his birds, and their movements, flight and soaring around in the sky. And there is the sly criminal who boasts of the blows and stabs he receives, and of his steadfastness under the whip, and who goes up to the cross or the gibbe bragging about his endurance of these [punishments], considering this to be a source of pride: he may be torn limb from limb in an attempt to make him confess to his crime or to that committed by another man with his knowledge, and persevere in his denial, and pay no heed to the punishments because of his joy at what he considers to be his courage and virility. Despite the torment provided by his circumstance, he is delighted by them and finds them a source of pride. And there is no condition more ugly and despicable than that of an effeminate man, who imitates women by plucking our his hair, tottooing his face, and keeping their company, so that you see him rejoicing in his state and boasting of the perfection of his effeminacy to other such men. Even the cuppers and sweepers can be seen boasting to one another just as much as the kings and scholars. All of this is the result of habit and persisting in one course for a long period and seeing the same thing in one’s acquaintances.
Since the soul commonly takes pleasure even in vain things and inclines towards ugliness, how could it not take pleasure in the Truth were it to be restored to it for a while and made to persevere therein?”
Note how Imam Al-Ghazali criticises the proud scholars in the same vein of criticism as the other examples …