One day, a peasant went to visit famous Mulla Nasruddin with a duck. Mulla, honoured by the offering, invited the man to dine and spend the night in his house. A few days later, the peasant’s wife and children visited Mulla and he treated them well, too. Eight days later, a whole family showed up […]

Once, a friend requested Mulla Nasruddin, “Can I borrow a thousand Thankas for three months?” Mulla replied, “I can fulfil half of your request.” “All right,” the friend said, “I’ll ask someone else for the other five hundred Thankas.” Mulla explained, “The half of your loan request I agreed, was the time: three months. I

Often, Mulla Nasruddin stood in the market to be pointed out as a fool. No matter how often people offered him a large and a small coin, he always chose the smaller one. One day, a kind man said to him, “Mulla, you should take the bigger coin. Then you will have more money and

One day, Mulla Nasruddin saw a crowd gathered around a lake. A Maulvi with a huge turban on his head had fallen into the water and was calling for help. Many people were leaning over and saying, “Give me your hand, Sir! Give me your hand!” But the Maulvi didn’t listen to them; rather, he

One day, Mulla Nasruddin went to a Turkish bath. However, since he was dressed very poorly, the bath attendants gave only him a small piece of soap, a rag for a loin cloth and an old towel. Mulla did not say anything and quietly took a bath. Before leaving, he gave the two attendants a

Mulla Nasruddin took his donkey to the market and sold it for 30 Thankas. The man who bought it immediately put it up for auction. “Look at this fine animal!” he shouted to passers by, “Have you ever seen a better specimen of a donkey? See how clean and strong it is!” Thus, he went

One day, Mulla Nasruddin went to a tailor with a piece of cloth. He asked the tailor to stitch him a shirt. While the tailor took his measurements, Mulla asked, “When will it be ready?” “God willing, it’ll be ready in a week’s time,” said the tailor. On the morning of the seventh day, Mulla

Once, Mulla Nasruddin had taken up a job as a coachman. Often, he had to drive his employer to a dangerous part of the town. “Keep your eyes open,” his employer warned him as he got off the coach at his destination. “This place is infested with thieves.” Some time later, the man decided to

One day, Mulla Nasruddin was on his way to the market with a basketful of vegetables loaded on his donkey. Halfway to the market, the donkey suddenly stopped. Mulla tried to coax it to move forward again but the animal would not budge. In anger and desperation, Mulla began to beat it with a stick.

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