151 Mulla Nasruddin’s Tales

One evening, a man carrying a can of milk called Mulla Nasruddin. “What happened?” asked Mulla. “I never drink wine yet I feel intoxicated when I get up in the morning,” explained the man. “What is the last thing that you drink at night?” asked Mulla. “Milk,” answered the man. “That is the cause of […]

Mulla Nasruddin was hired to deliver seven donkeys to a neighbouring town. As he went on his way, his mind began to wander. Minutes later, he checked to see if all the donkeys were still there. “One, two, three, four, five, six,” he counted. Some what worried, he counted again, “One, two, three, four, five,

Mulla Nasruddin had a habit of wearing a necklace made out of a ring of pumpkin. One day, Mulla went on a journey with his friend and slept in an inn. His friend took the necklace off and put it around his own neck. When Mulla woke up and saw this, he said, “I know

Late one night, Mulla Nasruddin’s baby started crying. His wife said, “Go and take care of the baby. After all, he is not only mine; he is also half yours.” Mulla sleepily remarked, “You can go and stop your half from crying if you want but as for me, I will let my half cry.”

One day, Mulla Nasruddin brought a small container to the milkman and said, “Give me one litre of cow’s milk.” The milkman looked at Mulla’s container and said, “A litre of cow’s milk won’t fit into your container.” “All right, give me one litre of goat’s milk,” said Mulla. When the milkman went away without

Mulla Nasruddin had a baby and his friends congratulated him on the occasion. “Is it a boy?” asked one of them. “No,” said Mulla. “Is it a girl?” asked the friend. “Yes! How did you know?” asked Mulla innocently. His friends started laughing loudly and asked him to treat them. Mulla gladly invited them to

Mulla Nasruddin’s friend had an egg in his pocket. He said to Mulla, “If you can guess what I have in my pocket, I’ll treat you to breakfast.” “All Right,” Mulla replied, “give me some clues.” The friend said, “It’s yellow in the middle. The rest of it is white. And it’s shaped like an

Mulla Nasruddin’s new wife heard a loud noise. “What was that?” she cried. “My clothes fell down,” replied Mulla. “But how could your clothes make such a loud noise?” she asked. “Because I was in them,” replied Mulla, and he walked out of his house. That day, Mulla was scheduled to give a religious speech

One day, Mulla Nasruddin was riding a donkey. At the same time, he also carried a sack of oranges over his shoulder. His friend saw him and asked, “Why don’t you just attach the sack to the donkey?” Mulla replied, “My donkey already has to carry me. Do you think it would be fair to

About a year after Mulla Nasruddin’s first wife had died, he married a widow. One day, Mulla’s new wife said, “You know, my first husband was an exemplary person.” Mulla, annoyed to hear about her first husband, responded, “Well, my first wife was incredibly charming.” “My first husband was a brilliant mathematician,” replied the wife.

As Mulla Nasruddin and his wife sat in their yard one day, a strong sudden gust of wind blew a shirt from their roof clothesline right next to the wife’s foot. When Mulla started offering thanks to God, his wife asked, “Why are you thanking God?” “Because I was not in the shirt,” explained Mulla,

One day, Mulla Nasruddin was presiding over the court as a judge when his neighbour came running inside. He asked, “Judge Mulla, if one man’s cow kills another’s cow, is the owner of the first cow responsible?” “It depends,” Mulla cautiously answered. “Well,” said the neighbour, “your cow has killed mine!” “Oh,” answered Mulla. “Well,

One night, Mulla Nasruddin was invited to the royal palace for dinner. The Sultan asked Mulla if he enjoyed the stew. “It was fantastic!” replied Mulla. “Really?” said the Sultan. “I thought it was pretty bad.” “Yes, it was quite awful!” said Mulla. “You just said it was fantastic a few seconds ago,” remarked the

Once, Mulla Nasruddin was travelling through the desert, and saw a holy man. He introduced himself, and the holy man said, “I am a mystic devoted to the appreciation of all life forms, especially birds.” “Oh, wonderful,” Mulla replied, “I would like to stay with you for a while so that we may share teachings.

A new conqueror ruled over the kingdom and resided in Mulla Nasruddin’s town. He looked for ways to put an end to a rebellion active in a nearby town. “The people have risen against the governor,” an official explained, “They say they have had enough of his oppressive rule.” “We should send troops and weapons