~ 159. Nasruddin by Night ~



"You wouldn't know it just by looking at me," said Nasruddin, "but I have truly miraculous powers."
Nasruddin's friend laughed. "So tell me," he said, "what is your most miraculous power?"
"I can see in the dark! In the darkest darkness, I can see as clearly as if it were broad daylight. I need no light of any kind."
"Surely you’re joking!" his friend objected. "I’ve seen you carrying a lantern in the dark, just like everybody else does."
"Of course!" said Nasruddin, smiling. "But I carry a lantern in the dark only so that others won't run into me."



Inspired by: 202 Jokes of Nasreddin Hodja by Her Hakki Mahfuzdur
Notes: This is story 23 in the book. Compare the famous story of the wise fool carrying a lamp in broad daylight, a story that is told of Aesop and Diogenes in the Greek tradition, and which is also found in the Islamic tradition too: Lamp in Daylight.



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