Tiny Tales: Traditional Stories in 100 Words: Islam: Nasruddin

Showing posts with label Islam: Nasruddin. Show all posts

~ 124. Nasruddin and the Quick Learner ~

Laura Gibbs · 124. Nasruddin and the Quick Learner

There was a would-be disciple who came to study with Nasruddin.

"I'm extremely intelligent," he said to Nasruddin, "and a quick learner! I'm sure I will be one of your best pupils. How long do you think it will take me to become an accomplished Sufi master?"

"Ten years," said Nasruddin.

The would-be disciple looked dejected. "What if I study twice as hard?"

"Twenty years," said Nasruddin.

"That's impossible!" exclaimed the disciple. "Didn't you hear me? I told you I would be one of your best pupils. I really am a quick learner!"

"That's exactly the problem," said Nasruddin, smiling.

Inspired by: Sacred Laughter of the Sufis by Imam Jamal Rahman
Notes: This story is on p. 19 of the book.

~ 125. Nasruddin and the Scholar ~

Laura Gibbs · 125. Nasruddin and the Scholar

A famous scholar asked Nasruddin to help him move beyond mere book learning. "Please accept me as your student!" he said.

Nasruddin agreed. "For the first week," he said, "you must go to the marketplace each morning and evening, kiss the ground and then jump up, pulling on your ears and braying like a donkey."

The scholar agreed. Reluctantly.

He came back a week later. "I did what you told me," he said, "and everyone laughed. I felt like a fool, a complete and utter fool!"

"Excellent!" said Nasruddin. "That's a remarkable insight to have gained in just one week."

Inspired by: Sacred Laughter of the Sufis by Imam Jamal Rahman
Notes: This story is on p. 22 of the book.

~ 126. Nasruddin and the Would-Be Disciple ~

Laura Gibbs · 126. Nasruddin and the Would-Be Disciple

A would-be disciple came to see Nasruddin.

It was a cold day, and the disciple asked Nasruddin why he was blowing on his hands.

"I blow on my hands to warm them," Nasruddin explained.

Later, Nasruddin filled two bowls of soup, taking one for himself and offering the other to his would-be disciple.

Then the disciple asked why Nasruddin was blowing on the soup.

"I blow on the soup to cool it," Nasruddin explained.

"I can't trust a teacher who uses the same technique for opposite purposes!" the disciple exclaimed, and he left.

Smiling, Nasruddin ate both bowls of soup.

Inspired by: The Sufis by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is in the chapter about Nasruddin; I added the part about Nasruddin eating both bowls of soup at the end. Compare the Aesop's fable about the satyr: The Satyr and the Traveler.

~ 127. A Conversation without Words ~

Laura Gibbs · 127. A Conversation without Words

Nasruddin and his friend met a dervish in the road.

The dervish said nothing; he silently pointed at the sky.

Nasruddin's friend thought, "This madman could be dangerous!"

Nasruddin pulled a coil of rope from his bag, showing it to the dervish, who then continued on his way.

Nasruddin's friend thought, "I'm glad Nasruddin told the madman we'd tie him up if he became violent!"

But without words the dervish had said, "One truth covers all," and without words Nasruddin had replied, "To seek the truth by ordinary means is like trying to use a rope to climb the sky."

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda (story 20).
Notes: This story also appears in The Sufis by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.

~ 128. God Created the Camel ~

Laura Gibbs · 128. God Created the Camel

Nasruddin was proclaiming the glory of God's creation. "Everything is created in the best of all possible ways, guided by the infinite wisdom of our Creator."

The people stared at him expectantly, eager to hear more.

"Consider the camel!" Nasruddin continued. "Just imagine if God had created camels with wings. The sky would be dark with flying camels, and they would land on the rooftops and break all the roof-tiles, and they would also poop in the chimneys." He then paused for dramatic effect. "So, let us praise the Creator for his great wisdom in not creating camels with wings!"

Inspired by: Mulla's Donkey and Other Friends by Mehdi Nakosteen, p. 74.
Notes: The story also appears in The Sufis by Idries Shah, where Nasruddin is discussing camels with his wife.

~ 130. Nasruddin and the Pilgrims ~

Laura Gibbs · 130. Nasruddin and the Pilgrims

Everyone in Nasruddin's village was preparing to go on a religious pilgrimage.

Everyone except Nasruddin.

All the other villagers loaded up their carts and wagons, their donkeys and camels, and then they set out down the road to begin their long journey.

Later that same day, Nasruddin came galloping up behind them on his donkey.

"What's wrong, Nasruddin?" they asked him in alarm.

"Where's my donkey?" he shouted. "I'm trying to find my donkey!"

They laughed. "You're riding him," they said. "You don't need to go looking for him."

"Really?" said Nasruddin. "So why do you go looking for God?"

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 84 in the book.

~ 131. Nasruddin and the Shrine ~

Laura Gibbs · 131. Nasruddin and the Shrine

Nasruddin was traveling to a distant country.

Along the way, his donkey died of exhaustion, and Nasruddin buried him by the roadside.

As Nasruddin knelt there, weeping, a man saw him and began to weep also.

"Why are you weeping?" Nasruddin asked.

"Like you, I weep tears for the holy saint who's buried here," the man replied.

"There's no saint here," Nasruddin explained. "Just my donkey."

But the man continued to weep.

Then he went and told others.

In time, pilgrims came from all over to visit the shrine of the saint.

Nasruddin, meanwhile, departed, continuing his journey on foot.

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 64 in the book.

~ 132. Nasruddin Crossing the Lake ~

Laura Gibbs · 132. Nasruddin Crossing the Lake

Nasruddin was crossing a lake on a ferry loaded with passengers.

Unexpectedly, a storm arose, and the ferry tossed violently in the rising waves. The passengers started screaming, and many of them prayed loudly. "Save us, God!" they shouted.

Nasruddin, meanwhile, stayed completely calm.

The storm eventually died down, and the ferry reached the shore safely.

"How could you stay so calm?" someone asked Nasruddin. "There was nothing but some planks of wood between us and a watery death."

"There is often less than that between you and death in your everyday life," replied Nasruddin. "You just don't see it."

Inspired by: Sacred Laughter of the Sufis by Imam Jamal Rahman
Notes: This story is on p. 14 of the book.

~ 134. Nasruddin Leaves the Tavern ~

Laura Gibbs · 134. Nasruddin Leaves the Tavern

It was late at night, and Nasruddin had spent the entire evening in a tavern, drinking and talking, talking and drinking. And drinking.

By the time he decided to head home, he was quite intoxicated.

As Nasruddin staggered through the streets, he ran into the night watchman.

"Who's that there?" asked the watchman. "What are you doing out at this late hour? Where did you come from? Where are you going?"

"Those are all very important questions," said Nasruddin, "very important indeed." Then he smiled. "And if I knew the answers to your questions, I suppose I'd be home already."

Inspired by: Sacred Laughter of the Sufis by Imam Jamal Rahman
Notes: This story is on p. 16 of the book.

~ 136. Nasruddin and the Frogs ~

Laura Gibbs · 136. Nasruddin and the Frogs

Nasruddin's friend saw him throwing money into a pool.

"Nasruddin! What on earth are you doing?" he asked.

Nasruddin smiled. "I'm paying the frogs."

"I don't understand," said his friend.

"Well, I was riding along and my donkey slipped. We were sliding right into the pool! But then the frogs started croaking, and they croaked so loudly that it scared the donkey, so he leaped back up onto solid ground, and we didn't end up in the water. Don't you think the frogs deserve a reward for saving us like that?"

Nasruddin smiled, and kept throwing money into the pool.

Inspired by: The Sufis by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is in the chapter about Nasruddin.

All Stories, Illustrated:no, sheet:no, Islam, Islam: Nasruddin, diigo:no, Extra: Nasruddin, Islam: Sufism

~ 137. Nasruddin and the Man's Bag ~

Laura Gibbs · 137. Nasruddin and the Man's Bag

Nasruddin saw a man weeping as he walked along the road.

"What's wrong?" Nasruddin asked.

"I've lost everything. All I have left is here," said the man, holding up a tattered bag.

Nasruddin grabbed the bag and ran.

The man shrieked. "Stop! STOP!"

Nasruddin ran until he was out of sight and then put the bag in the road for the man to find.

The man came trudging along, weeping even more loudly than before.

Then he saw his bag. "Oh, my bag!" he shouted. "I thought you were lost forever!"

From his hiding place in the bushes, Nasruddin smiled.

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 78 in the book.

~ 138. Nasruddin and the Drowning Man ~

Laura Gibbs · 138. Nasruddin and the Drowning Man

Nasruddin heard people shouting by the lake.

He ran to investigate: a man had fallen in. The tax collector! He couldn't swim and was shouting for help.

"Give me your hand!" the people yelled, reaching out their hands for the man to grab. "We'll help you!" But he just kept flailing in the water.

Nasruddin shouted, "Take my hand!"

Immediately, he seized Nasruddin's hand and Nasruddin pulled him to safety.

"You need to understand people," Nasruddin explained. "He's a tax collector, so he's not going to give you anything. But if you tell him to take something, he'll take it!"

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 59 in the book.

~ 139. Nasruddin and the Music Teacher ~

Laura Gibbs · 139. Nasruddin and the Music Teacher

Nasruddin had decided that he would like to learn to play the lute.

Nasruddin happened to have a lute already, but he did not have much money. He knew that would make it difficult to find a music teacher, but he was determined to succeed.

"Can you teach me to play the lute?" Nasruddin asked.

"I can," said the teacher.

"And how much do you charge?" asked Nasruddin.

"Three silver coins for the first month, and then one silver coin monthly for the second month and thereafter."

"Excellent!" said Nasruddin. "I'll skip the first month and start with the second."

Inspired by: The Sufis by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is in the chapter about Nasruddin.

~ 141. A Sign for Nasruddin's Restaurant ~

Laura Gibbs · 141. A Sign for Nasruddin's Restaurant

Nasruddin made a sign for his new restaurant.

RESTAURANT

"You need to say more!" suggested a friend. So Nasruddin changed the sign:

RESTAURANT - FINEST FOOD

Another friend insisted, "It needs action!"

RESTAURANT - FINEST FOOD SERVED HERE

"Why here?" a third friend objected. "The location is obvious."

RESTAURANT - FINEST FOOD SERVED

"What else would you do with food?" said a fourth friend.

RESTAURANT - FINEST FOOD

"That's debatable," complained a fifth friend. "Who's to say what food is finest?"

RESTAURANT - FOOD

"All restaurants have food!" scoffed a sixth friend.

So Nasruddin ended up where he began:

RESTAURANT was all the sign said.

Inspired by: Learning How to Learn by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on p. xx in the book (Introduction). Although Shah has not told this as a Nasruddin story, it seems to work very nicely in that style, so I made it a Nasruddin story.

~ 142. Nasruddin's Duck Soup ~

Laura Gibbs · 142. Nasruddin's Duck Soup

Nasruddin's relative showed up for dinner, bringing a duck.

Nasruddin made duck soup.

"Delicious!" said Nasruddin's relative.

The next day Nasruddin added water to the leftover soup.

A knock at the door: it was a friend of his relative, and he stayed for dinner. "Good soup!" the man said.

The next day Nasruddin added water to the leftover soup again.

Another knock: a friend of the friend of his relative. When Nasruddin served the soup, the man frowned. "It's not very good."

"What do you expect?" Nasruddin shouted. "It's the soup of the soup of the soup of the duck!"

Inspired by: The Sufis by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on p. 75 of the book.

~ 143. Nasruddin and the Puddle ~

Laura Gibbs · 143. Nasruddin and the Puddle

One day Nasruddin almost fell into a deep puddle; a friend grabbed his arm just in time.

Later, whenever this friend ran into Nasruddin, he would remind Nasruddin about it.

"Do you remember how I rescued you?"

"You had a close call with that puddle!"

"How lucky that I was there when you almost fell in the puddle!"

Finally Nasruddin couldn't take it anymore; he jumped into the deepest puddle he could find.

"See! I'm just as wet now as I would have been if I had never even met you!" Nasruddin shouted. "Can you leave me alone now, please?"

Inspired by: The Sufis by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is in the chapter about Nasruddin.

~ 144. Nasruddin on the Way to the Cemetery ~

Laura Gibbs · 144. Nasruddin on the Way to the Cemetery

"What is it like to be dead?" Nasruddin asked his wife.

"How should I know?" she replied. "The dead are cold; that's all I know."

Chopping wood the next day, Nasruddin suddenly felt very cold. "I must be dead," he thought. Then he lay down, because that's what the dead do.

People found him there. "This poor man is dead!" they said, and carried him off to the cemetery.

As they argued at a crossroads about which way to go, Nasruddin spoke up. "Perhaps I can help," he said. "If you don't know the way, I can give you directions."

Inspired by: The Little Book of Sufi Parables by Nico Neruda
Notes: This is story 12 in the book. This is a popular Nasruddin story found in many variations. Compare this version: Nasruddin's Sad News.

~ 1. Nasruddin Gallops Through the Market ~

Laura Gibbs · 1. Nasruddin Gallops Through the Market

The town square was crowded for market day.
Then, all of a sudden, Nasruddin came galloping through the square on his donkey. It looked like he was about to fall off, barely holding onto the reins with one hand while struggling to keep his turban on with the other.
Nobody had ever seen Nasruddin or his donkey move this fast!
"Hey there, Nasruddin!" yelled one of his friends as Nasruddin rode by. "Just where are you going in such a hurry?"
Nasruddin shouted a reply as the donkey galloped past. "I honestly don't know! You need to ask the donkey!"

Inspired by: Mulla's Donkey and Other Friends by Mehdi Nakosteen
Notes: This story is on p. 10 of the book. Nakosteen tells this story about Nasruddin riding a mule, but I used the traditional donkey.

~ 2. Nasruddin Shares the Donkey's Load ~

Laura Gibbs · 2. Nasruddin Shares the Donkey's Load

Nasruddin had gone into the forest to chop wood.
At day's end, he bundled up the wood but, instead of putting the bundle on the donkey, he put the bundle on his own head. He then clambered up on the donkey and rode into town.
"Nasruddin!" shouted one of his friends. "Why are you carrying that bundle of wood there on your head? Doesn't it hurt?"
"It does hurt," Nasruddin admitted, "but I wanted to help share the load."
"I still don't understand," said Nasruddin's friend, looking puzzled.
"The donkey is carrying me," explained Nasruddin, "but I'm carrying the wood."

Inspired by: The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is story 16 in the book. Other versions of the story have Nasruddin carrying a load of potatoes, a sack of grain, etc. Compare the story of Nasruddin sitting on top of the wood: Distributing the Weight.

(photo from PxFuel)

~ 3. Nasruddin's Donkey Is Missing ~

Laura Gibbs · Tiny Tales of Nasruddin

Nasruddin's donkey was lost, but Nasruddin appeared to be happy, not sad. Instead of looking for his donkey, he sat drinking coffee in the coffeehouse.
Everyone was puzzled about this, knowing how much Nasruddin loved his donkey, and his donkey had now been missing for several days.
"I don't understand why you look so happy," someone finally said to him. "How can you smile like that when your donkey is lost?"
"I'm smiling because I'm not on the donkey," explained Nasruddin, taking another sip of his coffee. "Just imagine: if I were on the donkey, I would be lost too!"

Inspired by: 202 Jokes of Nasreddin Hodja by Her Hakki Mahfuzdur
Notes: This is story 71 in the book. There are other stories about Nasruddin's lost donkey, such as The Donkey and the Cat.

(statue of Nasruddin)