Jalal, an old friend of Nasrudin’s, called one day. The Mulla said, ‘I am delighted to see you after such a long time. I am just about to start on a round of visits, however. Come, walk with me, and we

When the Mulla was a judge in his village, a disheveled figure ran into his court-room, demanding justice. ‘I have been ambushed and robbed,’ he cried, ‘just outside this village. Someone from here must

The philosophers, logicians and doctors of law were drawn up at Court to examine Nasrudin. This was a serious case, because he had admitted going from village to village saying: ‘The so-called wise men

One day the villagers thought they would play a joke on Nasrudin. As he was supposed to be a holy man of some indefinable sort, they went to him and asked him to preach a sermon in their mosque. He agreed.

Nasrudin heard that there was a banquet being held in the nearby town, and that everyone was invited. He made his way there as quickly as he could. When the Master of Ceremonies saw him in his ragged cloak,

The rain was pelting down. Aga Akil (wise guy), the most sanctimonious man in town, was running for shelter. ‘How dare you flee from God’s bounty,’ thundered Nasrudin at him, ‘the liquid from Heaven? As

When I was in the desert,’ said Nasrudin one day, ‘I caused an entire tribe of horrible and bloodthirsty bedouins to run.’ ‘However did you do it?’ ‘Easy. I just ran, and they ran after me.’

Nasrudin was carrying home some liver which he had just bought. In the other hand he had a recipe for liver pie which a friend had given him. Suddenly a buzzard swooped down and carried off the liver.

Hearing someone moving about in his house, the Mulla became frightened and hid in a cupboard. In the course of their search, the two burglars opened the door and saw him cowering there. ‘Why are you hiding

Two men were quarrelling outside Nasrudin’s window at dead of night. Nasrudin got up, wrapped his only blanket around himself, and ran out to try to stop the noise. When he tried to reason with the drunks,

Nasrudin’s donkey ran towards a pool to drink. The sides were very steep, and it was just about to over-balance and fall in when frogs began to croak loudly from the water. This so frightened the ass that

One day the Mulla was taking a donkey-load of salt to market, and drove the ass through a stream. The salt was dissolved. The Mulla was angry at the loss of his load. The ass was frisky with relief. Next

A lady brought her small son to the Mulla’s school. ‘He is very badly behaved,’ she explained, ‘and I want you to frighten him.’ The Mulla assumed a threatening posture, eyes flaming and face working.

Nasrudin made a wager that he could spend a night on a nearby mountain and survive, in spite of ice and snow. Several wags in the teahouse agreed to adjudicate. Nasrudin took a book and a candle and sat

A philosopher, having made an appointment to dispute with Nasrudin, called and found him away from home. Infuriated, he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote ‘Stupid Oaf’ on Nasrudin’s gate. As soon as

Someone saw Nasrudin searching for something on the ground. ‘What have you lost, Mulla?’ he asked. ‘My key,’ said the Mulla. So they both went down on their knees and looked for it. After a time the other

Nasrudin gave his wife some meat to cook for guests. When the meal arrived, there was no meat. She had eaten it. ‘The cat ate it, all three pounds of it,’ she said. Nasrudin put the cat on the scales.

‘Laws as such do not make people better,’ said Nasrudin to the King; ‘they must practise certain things, in order to become attuned to inner truth. This form of truth resembles apparent truth only slightly.’

Time and again Nasrudin passed from Persia to Greece on donkey-back. Each time he had two panniers of straw, and trudged back without them. Every time the guard searched him for contraband. They never

One day Nasrudin lent his cooking pots to a neighbour, who was giving a feast. The neighbour returned them, together with one extra one – a very tiny pot. ‘What is this?’ asked Nasrudin. ‘According to