Mulla Nasruddin loved sitting by the river, each morning. But a rogue would tip-toe from behind, toss his turban and walk away laughing mockingly. Mulla tried to ignore him but this continued every morning. So, Mulla sought help from a wrestler friend. The next morning, the rogue tip-toed to Mulla as usual and swiftly tossed […]
Mulla Nasruddin’s wife, Gulzan, was pestering him for a washing soap. “Your coat looks grey with grime. When you walk around wearing that, people think Mulla’s wife is a lazy woman. I must wash it for the sake of my honour,” she declared. Mulla bought a washing soap on credit. As Gulzan sat in her
Once, a rich Amir invited a great classical musician and all music lovers were expected to gather at his house. As Mulla Nasruddin entered, the guests murmured, “What’s he doing here? He knows nothing about music!” As Mulla sat down next to a guest, he thought, ‘I will find out why the rich listen to
One day, Mulla Nasruddin overheard a conversation of a short man with a porter at the bazaar. “Carry my boxes and I will give you three pieces of advice,” said the short man. “I can’t eat your advice,” said the porter and he walked away. Curious Mulla offered to carry his box. “Remember, I’ll pay
In a village, an artist used to make beautiful idols of gods and goddesses. Once, he made a beautiful idol of Lord Rama. The artist took a donkey from his neighbour potter to take the idol to the city in order to sell it. The artist loaded the idol of Lord Rama onto the donkey
Once, the cruel Sultan of Bukhara passed an order that no one should laugh as he suffered from severe headaches. One day, Mulla Nasruddin saw the soldiers beating a man for laughing. Mulla thought of a plan and shared it with his wife. That night, she informed the soldiers, “There is someone laughing near the
One morning, Mulla Nasruddin was impatiently walking around in his courtyard. He wanted to go inside his house and lie on his cot to daydream. But his wife was scrubbing the floor inside! Then suddenly, a big thorn stuck in his foot and he screamed, “Eeeeeyaaa!” Mulla sat down and managed to pull the thorn
Once, Mulla Nasruddin’s father-in-law came to visit him. So, he borrowed a brass pot from a pawn merchant for cooking. But the greedy merchant took twenty Thankas as rent. The next day, Mulla went back with the brass pot and two silver cups that his father-in-law brought. “Your pot was expecting and gave birth to
Once, Mulla Nasruddin bought two seers of rice. Then, he went to visit his friend Akber’s ailing wife. A man with a duck sat outside Akber’s house. Mulla said, “Please keep my bag. I’ll come and take it in a while.” Half an hour later, when Mulla returned, the man gave him an empty bag
Once, a rich man named Sallauddin announced, “I need a servant, who is well travelled and knows many stories because only stories can put me to sleep.” Someone referred Mulla Nasruddin to Sallauddin and he offered Mulla a good salary. Mulla accepted the job and his night duty began. He told true and false stories
Once, a sage camped outside Bukhara. Many people went to hear his holy sermons. Mulla Nasruddin also went with his donkey. While preaching about mercy and love to all animals, the sage pointed at Mulla’s donkey and said, “Look at that humble creature which serves its master without complaining. Dogs and horses have even saved
Mulla did not have a steady income. “I’m doing Allah’s service,” he always said. “Then, ask Him for a salary,” Gulzan said, one day. Mulla went into a forest and prayed, “Allah, I offer prayers five times a day. Give me a salary with all past dues.” A cunning money-lender, Zafar, placed his heavy money-bag
Mulla Nasruddin went to the fish bazaar to buy the best fish i.e. ‘Fish Baghdadi’. “This is the best pomfret for the dish. It is as long as your beard and as wide as your grin,” said the fish seller as he handed the fish wrapped in a wet rag. Mulla bought it and headed
Once, in a feast, Mulla shared his story with the guests. “When I was young, I went to the city of Kahira of Misr country (Cairo of Egypt country) as I wanted to buy ropes made of fine cotton. I invited the Kahira merchant to dinner and bought a fat hen. I wanted the chicken
Once, Mulla was invited to a rich man’s feast. Of all the delicacies served, he particularly liked a dish called, ‘Fish Baghdadi’. After the feast, the rich man asked his chef to write the recipe for Mulla while his servants served dried fruits to the guests. Mulla noticed a guest quietly filling his pockets with