Less Is Better

One December day the village boys decided to play a trick on Mulla Nasrudin to fool him. They hid Mullah Nasruddin’s coat when he was performing ablution for Friday ritual. But Mulla Nasrudin perceived that a trick on the way. “Mulla Nasrudin, it’s a cold day, why don’t you wear your coat?” asked one of…

One day , one of Mulla Nasrudin’s friend came over and wanted to borrow his donkey for a day or two. Nasrudin, knowing his friend, was not kindly inclined to the request, and came up with the excuse that someone had already borrowed his donkey. Just as Nasrudin uttered these words, his donkey started braying…

Mullah Nasruddin was dreaming that someone had counted nine gold pieces into his hand, but Mullah Nasruddin insisted that he would not accept less than ten pieces. While he was arguing with the man over one gold piece, he was awakened by a sudden noise in the street. Seeing that his hand was empty, Mullah…

One day Mulla Nasrudin went to a banquet. As he was dressed rather shabbily, no one let him in. So he ran home, put on his best robe and fur coat and returned. Immediately, the host came over, greeted him and ushered him to the head of an elaborate banquet table. When the food was…

The wit and wisdom of Mullah Nasruddin never leaves him tongue-tied. One day an illiterate man came to Mullah Nasruddin with a letter he had received. “Mullah Nasruddin, please read this letter to me.” Mullah Nasruddin looked at the letter, but could not make out a single word. So he told the man. “I am…

A certain conqueror said to Mulla Nasrudin: “Mulla, all the great rulers of the past had honorific titles with the name of God in them: there was, for instance, God-Gifted, and God-Accepted, and so on. How about some such name for me?” “God Forbid,” said Nasrudin.