151 Mulla Nasruddin’s Tales

Once, Mulla Nasruddin turned his home into a school and started teaching children. But his students often complained, ‘If I read books, people call me a bookworm.’ ‘If I eat less, they say I am sick.’ ‘If I eat well, they say I am a glutton.’ Mulla decided to teach them through an example. So, […]

One Friday at the mosque, a man said to Mulla, “I am the commander of the soldiers of Bukhara. The captain says you proved lucky to him.” The commander continued, “I am going on a hunting expedition tomorrow. I want to see how lucky you prove to me.” So, the next day, Mulla went with

Once, Mulla employed a servant named Abdul, to do his household chores. He gave Abdul an earthen pot and said, “You will bring water every day from the pond.” As Abdul turned to go, Mulla called him, “Listen! Be very careful with this pot. Don’t break it.” When Abdul turned around, Mulla said, “If you

Three rouges had moved into Mulla’s neighbourhood. They saw his lamb and wanted to eat its meat. One day, they said to Mulla, “Great tragedy! Have you heard that the world is coming to an end tonight?” “It’s dreadful!” said Mulla. “Yes! Let’s make these final moments memorable. We can roast your lamb and make

Mulla wore a special dress and set out to go to his friends in order to offer Eid greetings. Just then, his friend Badruddin came by. “Will you come with me?” asked Mulla. “I would look like your servant in these old clothes!” cried Badruddin. “You can wear my brocade coat, then,” said Mulla. So,

Once, Mulla was suffering from stomach upset. The hakim had advised him to take long walks in mornings and evenings. One late evening, Mulla had walked far away from the city. When he saw three men pointing at him, he turned around and walked briskly. Those men were criminals and they wanted to rob Mulla.

Mulla had bought a cock and a lamb as he loved pets. The cock was very healthy and beautiful. So, people often stopped to admire him. One day, a stranger was passing by Mulla’s house and remarked, “What a magnificent bird!” Mulla heard him and said, “Yes, he is useful, too. Once he pulled my

Mulla spent all his earnings in buying a house and a dress. By evening, his clothes were dirty as he had cleaned his house. Then, he remembered that his rich neighbour had invited him to a grand feast. When he went there, a guard stopped him. So, Mulla took a bath at a nearby well,

At night, Mulla went to meet his uncle and aunt. “I am your nephew, Mulla Nasruddin!” he said to an old couple. “Let Dobo sniff him,” said the old woman. “But Dobo is foolish. It tried to wet the hind legs of my donkey and got kicked out of senses,” Mulla said. “I remember his

Mulla came to the spot where his house used to be in Bukhara. It was only a heap of stones and rubble as the Sultan’s men had pulled it down. But a fine Arabian horse was tied to a wooden pole, which still stood there. He sat down on a stone near the pole and

The people of Bukhara were very sad. Mulla thought, ‘I’ll make them laugh so loudly that its roar must shake the foundations of the corrupt Sultan’s palace.’ A crow cawed as if it had been applauding Mulla’s thoughts. This made him laugh loudly. “Are you all right? Laughing is a sign of madness here,” said

Mulla was waiting to enter the Bukhara city gates when the captain of the soldiers shouted, “What’s your name?” “Mulla Nasruddin,” said Mulla, “A kind man saved me from some thieves. As I couldn’t remember my name, he gave me his name and a donkey to ride on.” “Why didn’t you remember your name?” asked

At night, Mulla Nasruddin lay on his back and looked at the starry sky, remembering the incidents of his wandering years. Just then, he heard someone calling, “Is there anyone awake? If so, please do me a favour by coming to me.” Mulla walked towards the tents and found a man lying on a costly

Mulla and his donkey sat down to enjoy a feast outside the city gates when he heard men arguing outside the meat shop. “You have been enjoying the rich smells from my shop, all evening. You must pay for it!” the meat seller demanded from a poor looking traveller. “Give me all the money you

Many stranded travellers were camping outside the city gates for the night. This was becoming a daily routine because of the corrupt soldiers. As Mulla and his donkey were walking along wondering what to eat, they met a man and his goat. The man shouted, “Try to make this goat shake its head for two