In the Salmasi mosque of Qom, instead of using a pulpit Imam used to sit on the floor to deliver his lectures.
After a while the number of students began to increase in a way that some of them had to sit on the steps alongside the corridor leading to the main courtyard of the mosque.
Because of this, students asked the Imam to use a pulpit to solve the problem. Everybody liked to see him and hear his voice. Thus the Imam agreed.
I remember the first time when that pulpit was used by the Imam in the mosque.
On that day, instead of dealing with regular subjects mostly on Islamic philosophy and jurisprudence he began to talk about the problems of lacking ethical behavior specifically caused by pride and arrogance.
"Sitting two steps higher than others does not stand for man's personality," Imam explained.
This statement followed by other ethical recommendations, of course, surprised everybody as we could guess it was because of using the pulpit.
Narrated by: Ayatollah Abbas Ali Amid Zanjani
Howzeh journal, nos. 37 & 38.