Once, a group of soldiers stood in the town square bragging about their accomplishments in a recent battle. “We defeated them,” said one of the men, “We were invincible. I myself killed about a dozen of their best men.” “And I,” added another, “caught an arrow that was headed towards me, threw it back at […]
One day, Mulla Nasruddin was called in the court for stealing a watermelon. The judge exclaimed, “You will get a fine for your mistake.” “But you can just use this against all the credits I have accumulated for the times I didn’t steal anything,” said Mulla, making everyone laugh loudly. The mayor, who was also
One day, Mulla Nasruddin lost his bag and declared in the town square, “My bag is lost! If you all don’t find it, you’ll find out what happened the last time my bag got lost!” The villagers frantically began searching for the bag. Minutes later, a man found it and presented it to Mulla. Out
One night, Mulla Nasruddin’s wife woke him up and said, “I have to go and check the baby. Can you give me the candle that I left on your left side?” Mulla replied, “How do you expect me to distinguish my left from my right in the dark!” Mulla’s wife took the candle herself in
Once, cherries were being sold at cheap prices in Mulla Nasruddin’s town. As Mulla was a good negotiator, his friend asked him to buy some cherries much below the already low market price. Mulla haggled with the merchant for over fifteen minutes, and was able to buy them at a very low price. He then
Mulla Nasruddin was listening to a group of people in the midst of a scholarly discussion. A man remarked, “People complain of cold in winter and of heat in summer. Is there nothing that can satisfy people?” “What about autumn and spring?” asked Mulla, making everyone laugh. Another man asked, “Mulla, when is a good
One morning, Mulla Nasruddin was inspecting the ground outside his door. A neighbour called out, “Mulla, what are you looking for?” “I dropped a ring,” Mulla replied. “Oh,” the neighbour replied as he also began searching. “Where were you standing when you dropped it?” “In my bedroom,” Mulla replied. “Then why are you searching for
Once, a religious leader invited Mulla Nasruddin to dinner. Mulla did not eat much that day. Thus, at the dinner, he was famished and eager to eat. Mulla’s friend who was at the dinner, too, asked him, “Mulla, how does one become wise?” “Listen attentively to wise people. And when someone is listening to you,
One day, at the town square, a group of people asked Mulla Nasruddin if he knew how to play the guitar. Mulla did not know. However, he replied, “Yes, I do. I am a masterful guitar player and one of the best in the world!” The people, who were expecting him to be boastful, immediately
One early morning, Mulla Nasruddin was returning home from the neighbouring town after a night’s stay. He thought that it would be a good idea to take a short-cut through the forest. ‘Why should I walk along a dusty road when I could be one with Nature, listening to the birds and looking at the
An illiterate man asked Mulla Nasruddin to write a letter for him. Mulla said, “Unfortunately, I can’t do it right now. My foot hurts.” The man asked, “What does that have to do with writing?” “Since nobody else can read my handwriting, I will go wherever the letter goes so that I can read it
Once, a village couple were digging the field to sow seeds. Suddenly, the man’s shovel hit something hard on the ground. It was a big silver pot. They took it out and carried it home. Back in home, the man put his shovel in the silver pot. Next day, when they looked for the shovel
Mulla Nasruddin worked as a watchman. One day, his master said, “Mulla, is it raining? I have to go to see the Sultan, and the dye on my favourite cloak is not fast,” “If it is raining, it will be ruined,” he said. Seeing the pet cat soaked thoroughly, lazy Mulla said, “Master, it’s raining
Mulla Nasruddin was strolling along a deserted road when he saw a troop of horsemen coming towards him. He became nervous and started to imagine himself captured and sold as a slave, or impressed into the army. So, he ran, climbed a wall into a graveyard, and lay down in an open tomb. Puzzled at
One day, Mulla Nasruddin said to the Sultan, “Laws do not make people better. They must practise certain things to become attuned to inner truth.” The Sultan decided that he could make people practise truthfulness. So, he had gallows built at the city gates. The following day, a captain was stationed there with soldiers to