Tiny Tales: Traditional Stories in 100 Words: RR

Showing posts with label RR. Show all posts

19. Jesus Went Walking

Laura Gibbs · 19. Jesus Went Walking

The great teacher Al-Ghazali told this story about Jesus.

Jesus went walking along the road and saw a group of richly dressed people who all looked very sad.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"We are sorrowing because of our fear of Hell," they replied.

Jesus continued walking and saw some more sad-looking people.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"We are anxious that we will not attain Paradise," they replied.

Jesus continued and met a third group of people. Their clothes were humble, but their faces shone with joy.

"Rejoice!" they said. "We have seen the Truth!"

And Jesus rejoiced with those people.

Inspired by: The Way of the Sufi by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on p. 59 in the book. You can read about Al-Ghazali and Islamic traditions about Isa-ibn-Maryan (Jesus) at Wikipedia.

52. The Dervish and the Rich Man

Laura Gibbs · 52. The Dervish and the Rich Man

A dervish invited a rich man to break the fast, offering him only dry bread.

The rich man later sent the dervish a purse containing a thousand gold coins.

The dervish returned the purse with a note: "Bread is useful; gold is not — you only imagine it is."

The dervish then sent a beggar to the rich man's house.

The beggar returned and said, "He gave me nothing."

"Such foolishness!" said the dervish. "People think bread is equal to gold and try to exchange one for the other. Then, when a needy person asks for help, they don't help."

Inspired by: The Dermis Probe by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on p. 17 in the book.

53. A Prayer for a Tyrant

Laura Gibbs · 53. A Prayer for a Tyrant

There was a dervish whose prayers were very acceptable to God.

One day his wanderings took the dervish to Baghdad, and there the tyrannical governor summoned the dervish into his presence.

"Pray a good prayer for me," the governor commanded.

The dervish prayed, "O God, please take away this man's life!"

The governor shouted, "What kind of prayer is that?"

"It is a prayer for you and for the whole world," replied the dervish. "Nothing in this world's bazaar lasts forever. I prayed that you be free of life, and so then the world will be free of your tyranny."

You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at Hathi Trust.

(silver dirham of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf)

54. The Disciple Sentenced to Death

Laura Gibbs · 54. The Disciple Sentenced to Death

"The king will arrest you tomorrow," a wise dervish told his disciple, and the dervish then told his disciple exactly what to do.

The next day, as foretold, the king arrested the disciple. "I sentence you to death," he said.

The dervish rushed in, shouting, "No, kill me instead!"

"No!" shouted the disciple. "Kill me instead of the dervish."

The tyrant was baffled. "What does this mean?"

"I know a secret prophecy," said the dervish. "The man who dies today will rise from death and live forever."

"Then kill me!" the king shouted.

The executioner killed him.

The dervish smiled.

Inspired by: Thinkers of the East by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on p. 3 in the book. Shah's story has an opening where the dervish has many followers, but they will not go along with his strange request. They all desert him, except for one follower who is willing to obey his command.

58. Seeking the Tree of Heaven

Laura Gibbs · 58. Seeking the Tree of Heaven

A woman sought the Tree of Heaven.

She asked a dervish for help.

"I can teach you," said the dervish, "but it takes thirty years."

"I can't wait," she said.

"Then I can't help you," he replied. "Seek the dervish Arif."

She sought Arif, who sent her to Hakim, then Majzub, Alim... so many teachers.

Thirty years passed.

Then she reached the garden: there was the Tree of Heaven!

And beneath it... the dervish.

"Why didn't you tell me you were the Tree's keeper?"

"You didn't ask," he said. "And I know the Tree fruits only once every thirty years."

Inspired by: Wisdom of the Idiots by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on p. 1 in the book. Compare this story: Advice to a Seeker.

65. The Caliph and the Pearl

Laura Gibbs · 65. The Caliph and the Pearl

Caliph Abdul-Aziz possessed a pearl of exquisite beauty, and he had it set in a ring of gold. All the courtiers of the Caliph's court admired this marvelous pearl.

A famine then swept through the country, and the people were in distress, so the Caliph decided to sell the priceless pearl to feed his people.

"But you will never acquire such a pearl again!" his courtiers warned him.

"I can't drink from this pitcher while my people have nothing but poison," the Caliph replied. "Better to see my gold ring without its pearl than to see my people in distress."

You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at Internet Archive, Sacred Texts, and Hathi Trust. You can read more about Caliph Abdul-Aziz at Wikipedia.

~ 115. Ahmad Yasawi and the Seeker ~

Laura Gibbs · 115. Ahmad Yasavi and the Seeker

A seeker came to see the Sufi master Ahmad Yasawi.

"I want to learn without books and without teachers," the man said. "That way nothing will stand between me and the Truth; I want to be enlightened by the Truth directly."

Ahmad Yasawi smiled at the foolish man. "But do you eat without a mouth? Are you nourished without a stomach? How would you eat if you did not have a mouth? What would be the point of eating without a stomach? You have all those physical organs for a reason, just as books and teachers exist for a reason."

Inspired by: Seeker After Truth by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on p. 3 in the book. You can read more about Ahmad Yasavi here.

~ 118. Little Rumi and the Angels ~

Laura Gibbs · 118. Little Rumi and the Angels

When Rumi was little, he went with the other boys in the neighborhood up to play on the roof.

"Let's jump from one roof to another!" a boy said.

"That's the kind of game that cats and dogs play," said Rumi. "Let's try something better: we can go up to heaven where the angels are!"

As Rumi spoke these words, he vanished.

His playmates shouted and yelled, frightened about what had happened.

Then Rumi reappeared. "Angels clad all in green took me up to heaven, but when I saw it frightened you, I told them to bring me back here."

Inspired by: The Hundred Tales of Wisdom by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on p. 2 in the book.

~ 147. The Peasant and the General ~

Laura Gibbs · 147. The Peasant and the General

A peasant was plowing, and a general rode by.

The general's horse had a stone in his hoof and was lame. "I need your horse!" yelled the general. "I order you to give me your horse!"

"Why should I obey you?" the peasant shouted back.

"Because I'm a general in the army!"

"I know what an army is!" said the peasant. "I was in the army. I got all my orders from the sergeant. You're not a sergeant!"

"I'm a general!" shouted the general.

"I don't know what a general is. Go get a sergeant, and I'll listen to him!"

Inspired by: Knowing How to Know by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on p. 15 in the book.

~ 153. A First Time at Sea ~

Laura Gibbs · 152. The Bedouin and his Two Sacks

A king was making a sea voyage, but one of his servants had never been in a boat before. Stricken with terror, this servant sobbed and shouted, annoying the king.

A wise sailor took charge: he had the servant thrown into the sea, and then dragged by the hair to where he could grab hold of the ship's rudder.

The man clung there for an hour, and then they dragged him back into the boat.

He made no further complaints.

"Now he knows what the water is like," said the wise sailor, "and he knows the value of a boat."

For the #RamadanReadathon at Twitter, I want to highlight some story collections that people might enjoy reading, featuring free full-text books online; here are all the books I've featured so far, including a 100-word story for each one too. So, today's book is The rose-necklace, being the selections from the Gulistan and the Anwaar-i Suhaili, translated by Adalut Khan. See details below, and here is a story from the Gulistan section of the book.

You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at Hathi Trust.

Gulistan

~ 122. What a Beggar Needs ~

Laura Gibbs · 122. What a Beggar Needs

Nasruddin was walking down the street when a beggar accosted him.
"I know you," said Nasruddin. "You like drinking coffee in the coffeehouse, don't you?
The beggar nodded. "Yes, I do."
"And the bathhouse? And drinking with your friends?"
The beggar kept nodding, and Nasruddin gave him a gold coin.
Nasruddin met a second beggar; he had overheard the first conversation.
"What about you?" asked Nasruddin. "The coffeehouse?"
"Never!" said the beggar.
"Bathhouse? Drinking?"
The beggar shook his head emphatically, and Nasruddin gave him a copper coin.
"I don't understand!" complained the beggar.
"Your needs are fewer," replied Nasruddin, smiling.

Inspired by: The Subtleties of the Inimitable Mulla Nasrudin by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on page 6 of the book.

The Oxen and the Logs

For the #RamadanReadathon at Twitter, I want to highlight some story collections that people might enjoy reading, featuring free full-text books online; here are all the books I've featured so far, including a 100-word story for each one too.

So, today's book is Turkish Literature: Fables translated by Epiphaneius Wilson. See details below, and here is a story from that collection:

The Oxen and the Logs

Two lazy oxen were pulling a log. They were going slowly, although the log was not very heavy.
"Hey, oxen!" shouted the log. "I'm not so heavy. Since you are such big, strong oxen, I would think you would gallop right along!"
"It's true you are not very heavy," said one of the oxen. "But if we were to go along any faster than this, the humans would add more logs to our load."
"And you would be probably be crushed beneath those other logs," said the other ox. "So really: we're doing this all for you!"

You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books.
.

Nasruddin's Vinegar

Nasruddin's neighbor came and knocked at his door.
"I need your help, Nasruddin!" he said. "I've just been to the doctor and he has told me to prepare a poultice with forty-year-old vinegar. Do you have some forty-year-old vinegar?"
"Well," Nasruddin admitted reluctantly, "the fact is I do have some forty-year-old vinegar."
"Please give me some," said the neighbor. "I only need a small amount."
"No," said Nasruddin. "I can't do that."
"Why not?" asked the neighbor.
"If I had been in the habit of giving away vinegar to everyone who asked, my vinegar wouldn't be forty years old."

Inspired by: Nasreddin Hodja compiled by Alpay Kabacali.
Notes: This story is on p. 2 of the book. Most versions of this story are about vinegar, but sometimes it is wine instead.

The Widow's Prayer and the Cow

For the #RamadanReadathon at Twitter, I want to highlight some story collections that people might enjoy reading, featuring free full-text books online; here are all the books I've featured so far, including a 100-word story for each one too.

So, today's book is Eastern Legends and Stories in English Verse by Norton Powlett. See details below, and here is a story from that collection:

The Widow's Prayer and the Cow

An elderly widow saw that her daughter's health was failing, so she prayed to God to take her life instead.
Meanwhile, as she was praying, a cow wandered into the kitchen and stuck her nose into a pot full of broth. The pot stuck to the cow's nose, which terrified the cow. Tossing her head this way and that, the cow ran wildly through the house.
When the old woman saw this monstrosity, she feared it was the Angel of Death in answer to her prayer. "Not me! Not me!" she screamed. "You want my daughter; that's her bedroom there!"

You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books.

New Husband for an Old Woman

For the #RamadanReadathon at Twitter, I want to highlight some story collections that people might enjoy reading, featuring free full-text books online; here are all the books I've featured so far, including a 100-word story for each one too.

So, today's book is Speak Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Arab Folktales by Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana. See details below, and here is a story from that collection:

New Husband for an Old Woman

An old widow was always cursing her son.
One day a salesman came by and said, "Your mother needs a husband."
"Yes, my son!" said his mother. "Get me a husband and you'll have Allah's blessing."
The salesman carried her away to a hyena's lair. "Your husband's coming soon," he said.
The hyena arrived but the old woman said, "Not so fast; wedding first!"
The hyena realized she must be blind. Every time he approached her, she said, "Not so fast; wedding first!"
Finally, the hyena ate her.
The son had been watching, and after that, he went back home.

You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at the University of California Press E-Books Collection.

King Solomon and the Pigeon

For the #RamadanReadathon at Twitter, I want to highlight some story collections that people might enjoy reading, featuring free full-text books online; here are all the books I've featured so far, including a 100-word story for each one too.

So, today's book is Folklore of the Holy Land: Moslem, Christian and Jewish by J. E. Hanauer. See details below, and here is a story from that collection:

King Solomon and the Pigeon

King Solomon heard two pigeons outside his window.
"King Solomon is nothing! said the pigeon-husband. "I could flap my wings and knock down his palace!"
"Come here!" Solomon shouted. "What did you say?"
"Forgive me, King!" said the pigeon. "I was just boasting to impress my wife."
"Well, I forgive you," said the king laughing.
The bird flew back out, and his wife asked, "What did the king want?"
"He begged me not to knock down his palace!" boasted the pigeon.
Enraged, King Solomon turned both birds into stone, a warning that husbands should not be boastful to their wives.

You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at Internet Archive, Sacred Texts, Hathi Books, and Google Books.

Hormuzan's Conversion

For the #RamadanReadathon at Twitter, I want to highlight some story collections that people might enjoy reading, featuring free full-text books online; here are all the books I've featured so far, including a 100-word story for each one too.

So, today's book is Historical Tales and Anecdotes of the Time of the Early Khalifahs by Muhammad Diyaab Itlidi, translated by Alice Frere (Mrs. Godfrey Clerk). See details below, and here is a story from that collection:

Hormuzan's Conversion

The Arabs captured the Parthian nobleman Hormuzan.
"Convert to Islam!" commanded Caliph Umar, threatening him with a sword.
When Hormuzan refused, Umar said, "Kill him!"
"Let me have a drink of water first," said Hormuzan. "Let me live till I drink."
Umar agreed and gave Hormuzan a goblet of water, which Hormuzan cast aside.
Bound by his promise, Umar didn't know what to do, so he lowered his sword.
Hormuzan then said, "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet." He then added, "I didn't want anyone to say I professed Islam in fear of the sword."

You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at Hathi Trust and Google Books.

(Wikisource)

The Men and the Oxen

For the #RamadanReadathon at Twitter, I want to highlight some story collections that people might enjoy reading, featuring free full-text books online; here are all the books I've featured so far, including a 100-word story for each one too.

So, today's book is The Folklore of Palestine by Barbara M. Bowen. See details below, and here is a story from that collection:

The Men and the Oxen

Mohammed walked by a field where men were plowing in winter. "Peace to you," he said. The men did not answer, but the oxen answered, "And peace to you." Mohammed blessed the oxen. "May Allah make your nights long!" That is why in winter, nights are long, and the oxen can sleep.
In summer, Mohammed passed the same field where men were planting. "Peace to you," he said. No one answered. Mohammed cursed the men. "May Allah make your days long!" That is why in summer, days are long, and the men must work hard with little time to sleep.

You can find a longer version of that story, and many other stories besides, in the online book, which is available at Hathi Trust.

Nasruddin and the Horseman

As Nasruddin was walking past the cemetery, he saw a horseman coming towards him. "He'll rob me! He'll sell me into slavery!" Terrified, Nasruddin ran into the cemetery. As he heard the horseman following him, he jumped into an open grave and lay there motionless.
The horseman had followed Nasruddin wondering about his strange behavior. "Hey there, you in the grave," he shouted. "What are you doing down there?"
Nasruddin realized he had acted foolishly, but did not want to admit it. "Well," he said, "you could say I'm here because of you. Meanwhile, you are here because of me."

Inspired by: The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation, p. 2.
Notes: The story also appears in The Sufis by Idries Shah.

The Creation of the Cultures

It was the dawn of creation. There was a big heap of things, and the culture-bearers of each culture came and took what they wanted from the heap.
The Japanese culture-bearer came and took the koans. "The koans will show our subtle way of thinking."
The Hindu culture-bearer came and took the mantras. "These mantras will give us power over ourselves and the world."
Not much was left when the American culture-bearer got to the heap, but he did find a green piece of paper; it was a dollar. "I'll take this; the whole world is going to want this!"

Inspired by: Special Illumination by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: This is on p. 12 in the book.