Mullah Nasruddin is a character who often comes up in Islamic folk stories. These stories are full of wit, brilliance and wisdom. Which is why, they are told, retold and recreated not only in the Islamic world but outside too.
Now, you might ask, who was this Mullah Nasruddin?
Nasruddin Hodja, better known as Mullah Nasruddin, was born in 1208 in the village of Horto near Sivrihisar, in present day Turkey. In 1237, he moved to Aksehir, where he died in the Islamic year 683 (1284 or 1285). He remains, to this day, Turkey’s or perhaps Islamic world’s most popular trickster. Some of his stories might be true, while some are attributed to him to make them more relevant as a part of folklore.
These stories are short and powerful, and they make one laugh no matter where one is from. Consider the following short tale, for instance.
Once when Nasreddin Hodja was serving as qadi, one of his neighbors came to him with a complaint against a fellow neighbor.
The Hodja listened to the charges carefully, then concluded, “Yes, dear neighbor, you are quite right.”
Then the other neighbor came to him. The Hodja listened to his defense carefully, then concluded, “Yes, dear neighbor, you are quite right.”
The Hodja’s wife, having listened in on the entire proceeding, said to him, “Husband, both men cannot be right.”
The Hodja answered, “Yes, dear wife, you are quite right.”
Such is the wisdom of Mullah Nasruddin which often comes in small packets of follies. If you want to hear more tales of Mullah Nasruddin, get a book of his collection of stories (there are many available), or listen to the podcast below.
Kalampedia 