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, everyone knows that a cow can’t think like a human. So obviously, the cow is not responsible and therefore, its owner isn’t responsible either.” “Excuse me, Judge,” the neighbour interrupted, “I made a mistake. What I meant to say is that my cow has killed yours!” Judge Mulla was taken aback. He sat in contemplation for a few moments. “Now that I think about it more carefully,” he announced, “this case is much more complex than I initially thought.” He turned to his assistant and said, “Please bring me that big blue book on the shelf behind you….” Now, the neighbour was taken aback.
Mulla and the Cows
