Book & Author
Idries Shah: The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin and The Subtleties of the Inimitable Mulla Nasrudin
By Dr Ahmed S. Khan
Chicago, IL
“Mulla Nasrudin, Chief of the Dervishes and Master of a hidden treasure, a perfected man... Many say: I wanted to learn, but here I have found only madness. Yet, should they seek deep wisdom elsewhere, they may not find it.” - From Teachings of Nasrudin, Bokharan MS. of 1617, by Ablahi Mutlaq, 'The Utter Idiot’)
Mulla Nasrudin (1208―1285) was a philosopher, Sufi , and wise man. Today, he still remains a popular global figure. People enjoy his stories immersed in wit, wisdom and charm. He has a global following and remains quite popular in Romania, Bulgaria, Sicily, Morocco, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Middle East, and other regions of Europe, Africa and Asia.
People of different regions and cultures enjoy his stories bursting with humor and wisdom. They claim him to be theirs and remember him using different variations of his name: Nasrudeen, Nasruddin, Nasiruddin, Naseeruddin, Nusrettin, Nasrettin, Nasiruddin Hujjah, Juha, Djoha, Hojja, Mullah, Mulla, Efendi, Afandi, and others. Many researchers claim that he was born in Hortu Village located in Sivrihisar , Eskişehir Province of present-day Turkey. UNESCO declared 1996-97 as the International Nasreddin Year. To honor him the Soviets made two films: Nasreddin in Bukhara (1943) and The Adventures of Nasreddin (1947).
Idries Shah has published his work extensively narrating Mulla Nasrudin’s stories. In his book “ The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin and The Subtleties of the Inimitable Mulla Nasrudin” Idrees Shah narrates Mulla Nasrudin’s witty masterpieces. The book has two volumes; in the first volume the author narrates the traditional tales, and in the second volume showcases stories extrapolated and adapted in the context of modern times.
Idries Shah(1924 –1996) aka Idres Shah was an author and teacher of Sufism, based in London, England, who had authored more than three dozen books in all the major European languages, on a spectrum of topics ranging from philosophy and spirituality to travelogues and culture. He had written detailed accounts about the instructive humor of Mulla Nasrudin. In 1965, Shah established the Institute for Cultural Research in London for the study of human behavior and culture. A sister organization, the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK), was created in the United States under the directorship of Robert Ornstein , a psychology professor at Stanford.
In the introduction, the author reflects on the historical perspective of Mulla Nasrudin and observes: “Many countries claim Mulla Nasrudin as a native, though few have gone so far as Turkey in exhibiting his grave and holding an annual Nasrudin Festival, when people dress up and enact the famous jokes at Eskishehir, the reputed place of his birth. The Greeks, who adopted a few things from the Turks, regard Nasrudin quips as part of their own folklore. In the Middle Ages Nasrudin tales were widely used to deride odious authority. In more recent times, the Mulla became a People's Hero of the Soviet Union, when a film depicted him as scoring again and again off the wicked capitalist rulers of the country. Nasrudin shades off into the Arab figure of Joha, and reappears in the folklore of Sicily. Stories attributed in Central Asia to the corpus are found applied to Baldakiev in Russia, in Don Quixote, even in the oldest French book, the Fables of Marie de France.”
Describing the personality traits and Sufi attributes of Mulla Nasruddin, the author writes: “The Mulla is variously referred to as very stupid, improbably clever, the possessor of mystical secrets. The dervishes use him as a figure to illustrate, in their teachings, the antics characteristic of the human mind. Such is the resilience of Nasrudin that republican Turkey, where the dervish orders were suppressed forty years ago, publishes booklets about him as part of their tourist activity. Scholars have used a great deal of ink on Nasrudin, though traditionally he had little time for them. Because the Mulla is reported to have said, 'I am upside down in this life', some have gone so far as to invert the reputed date of his death, trying to find the truth about the matter. The Sufis, who believe that deep intuition is the only real guide to knowledge, use these stories almost like exercises. They ask people to choose a few which especially appeal to them, and to turn them over in the mind, making them their own. Teaching masters of the dervishes say that in this way a breakthrough into a higher wisdom can be affected. But the Sufis concur with those who are not following a mystic way that everyone can do with the Nasrudin tales what people have done through the centuries — enjoy them.”
The following samples of Mulla Nasruddin’s traditional tales illustrate Idries Shah’s mastery of storytelling.
The Smuggler: Time and again Nasrudin passed from Persia to Greece on donkey-back. Each time he had two panniers of straw and trudged back without them. Every time the guard searched him for contraband. They never found any. ‘What are you carrying, Nasrudin?’ ‘I am a smuggler.’ Years later, more and more prosperous in appearance, Nasrudin moved to Egypt. One of the customs men met him there. ‘Tell me, Mulla, now that you are out of the jurisdiction of Greece and Persia, living here in such luxury — what was it that you were smuggling when we could never catch you?’ ‘Donkeys.’
The Cat and the Meat : Nasrudin gave his wife some meat to cook for guests. When the meal arrived, there was no meat. She had eaten it. ‘The cat ate it, all three pounds of it,’ she said. Nasrudin put the cat on the scales. It weighed three pounds. ‘If this is the cat,’ said Nasrudin, ‘where is the meat? If, on the other hand, this is the meat — where is the cat?’
There is More Light Here: Someone saw Nasrudin searching for something on the ground. ‘What have you lost, Mulla?’ he asked. ‘My key,’ said the Mulla. So, they both went down on their knees and looked for it. After a while the other man asked: ‘Where exactly did you drop it?’ ‘In my own house.’ ‘Then why are you looking here?’ ‘There is more light here than inside my own house.’
The Fool: Aphilosopher, having made an appointment to dispute with Nasrudin, called and found him away from home. Infuriated, he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote `Stupid Oaf' on Nasrudin's gate. As soon as he got home and saw this, Mulla rushed to the philosopher's house. ‘I had forgotten’, he said, ‘that you were to call. And I apologize for not having been at home. Of course, I remembered the appointment as soon as I saw that you had left your name on my door.’
Salt is Not Wool: One day the Mulla was taking a donkey-load of salt to market, and drove the ass through a stream. The salt was dissolved. The Mulla was angry at the loss of his load. The ass was frisky with relief. Next time he passed that way he had a load of wool. After the animal had passed through the stream, the wool was thoroughly naked, and very heavy. The donkey staggered under the soggy load. ‘Ha!' shouted the Mulla, 'you thought you would get of lightly every time you went through water, didn't you?'
The Burglars: Hearing someone moving about in his house, the Mulla became frightened and hid in a cupboard. In the course of their search, the two burglars opened the door and saw him cowering there. `Why are you hiding from us?' asked one. `I am hiding from shame that there is nothing in this house worthy of your attention.'
Eating-matter and Reading-matter: Nasrudin was carrying home some liver which he had just bought. In the other hand he had a recipe for liver pie which a friend had given him. Suddenly a buzzard swooped down and carried off the liver. ‘You fool!' shouted Nasrudin, 'the meat is all very well — but I still have the recipe!'
Cooking by Candle: Nasrudin made a wager that he could spend a night on a nearby mountain and survive, in spite of ice and snow. Several wags in the teahouse agreed to adjudicate. Nasrudin took a book and a candle and sat through the coldest night he had ever known. In the morning, half-dead, he claimed his money. ‘Did you have nothing at all to keep you warm?’ asked the villagers. ‘Nothing.’ ‘Not even a candle?’ ‘Yes, I had a candle.’ ‘Then the bet is off.’ Nasrudin did not argue. Some months later he invited the same people to a feast at his house. They sat down in his reception room, waiting for the food. Hours passed. They started to mutter about food. ‘Let’s go and see how it is getting on,’ said Nasrudin. Everyone trooped into the kitchen. They found an enormous pot of water, under which a candle was burning. The water was not even tepid. ‘It is not ready yet,’ said Mulla. ‘I don’t know why — it has been there since yesterday.’
The Last Day: Nasrudin's neighbors coveted his fatted lamb, often tried to make him kill it for a feast. Plan after plan failed until one day when they convinced him within twenty-four hours the end of the world would come. 'In that case,' said the Mulla, 'we might as well eat it.' So, they had a feast. When they had eaten, they lay down to sleep, taking off their jackets. After several hours the guests awoke to find that Nasrudin had piled all the clothes on a bonfire and burnt the lot. They raised a howl of rage, but Nasrudin was calm: 'My brothers, tomorrow is the end of the world, remember? What need will you have of your clothes then?'
The second volume of the book presents adaptations of Nasrudin’s humorous folklore to modern times. The following samples reveal the author's creative imagination of transporting Mullah Nasiruddin to the modern times.
Radio: When Mulla Nasrudin arrived at the immigration barrier in London, the officer in-charge asked: ‘Where are you from?’ Nasruddin said: ‘Grrrr…The East.’ ‘Name?’ ‘Mulla, ssssss, Nasrrrgrrudin!’ ‘Have you an impediment in your speech?’ ‘Wheeee-eee-no!’’Then why do you talk like that?’ ‘Pip-pip-pip - I grr – learnt it from English by Radio!’
Psychology: Mulla Nasrudin went to see a psychiatrist. He said: 'My trouble is that I can't remember anything.' `When did this start?' asked the doctor. `When did what start?' said Nasrudin.
When to do what: Mulla Nasrudin once disappeared from his desk for three weeks. When he came back he was called into his employer's office. 'Where have you been, Nasrudin? You can't vanish for weeks on end without permission.' 'I was only following your instructions.' `Explain yourself.' 'I went into your office to ask for a holiday. You weren't there, but I saw the notice on your desk — "DO IT NOW" — and so I did.'
Idries Shah’s book presents a fine collection of Nasrudin’s centuries old tales of wit and wisdom which remain very relevant and funny in the 21 st century. It is a must read for admirers of Sufism, philosophy, and humor. The pedagogy of Nasrudin humor has a dual impact on the reader: after the laughter ends the wisdom starts to sink in.
(Dr Ahmed S. Khan - dr.a.s.khan@ieee.org - is a Fulbright Specialist Scholar - 2017-2022)
