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, there was a squirrel called Squitty. He was very old. He was well loved and respected by everyone in the jungle. When he was young, he had played many games and won many races. But now he had grown old. He could not run and play anymore. Now he sat and told stories of
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
Once upon a time, it was raining very heavily. There were water puddles everywhere. Tiny Ant was going to meet his friends but had to cancel out as it was raining hard. He was dismayed and looked at the pouring rain. As he was looking at the water, he saw a walnut shell floating in
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
Tubby Bear was a very sweet bear. He loved to eat honey. But besides eating honey, he loved to do many other things. He loved to sing and dance a lot. Whenever he got the opportunity, he started singing and dancing. He lived in a house at the foot of a hill. He used to
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
Once, Mulla Nasruddin’s friend, Akber, advised him to get married. After a long time, Mulla met Akber. Akber asked, “Mulla, how is your married life going on?” “It’s all right!” said Mulla. “Except that my wife is a big spender.” Akber could not believe that Gulzan, a potter’s daughter, would indulge in luxuries. “She demands
It was winter time. There was snow everywhere. Pipo Penguin loved the snow. There were so many things Pipo loved to do with the snow. He could make a snowman, he could make snowballs and also play games with his friends. But most of all, he loved to watch it fall to the ground in
One day, Mulla Nasruddin was sitting with many people at a rich Amir’s house. Someone asked, “If God was pleased with you what would you ask him–wealth, brains, beautiful wife, children, good health….” The Amir asked Mulla, “Well, will you ask for wealth or brains?” “Wealth!” Mulla answered without hesitation. “I thought you were a
Every morning, Mulla Nasruddin stood before a mirror and adored his beard. However, one night, he saw a mouse near his beard. So, he bought a cat. Then, he bought a potter’s goat for milk. But the goat wouldn’t let anyone milk her except the potter’s daughter, Gulzan. So, she came every day to Mulla’s
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,