Mullah Nasruddin

"The Mullah was enamored of Indian classical music. He eagerly sought out a teacher to take private lessons. "How much will it cost?" asked the Mullah.      "Three pieces of silver the first month and one piece of silver from the second month onward," replied the teacher. "Excellent!" replied the Mullah. "Sign me up from the second month!"

The Mulla, in deep exasperation, sought a cure from a healer because every night for the past month he had dreamt about having wrestling matches with donkeys. The healer thoughtfully prepared a special herbal mixture for him and said, “Eat this, and your dreams will go away.” “Thank you so much, but can I start tomorrow?” the Mulla asked. “Why not tonight?” the healer inquired. Said the Mulla, “Because tonight I am scheduled to wrestle in the finals of the championship match!”

One rainy evening, the Mulla attended a religious meeting in a house of worship. As the leader was declaiming about the beauty and superiority of their particular institution, a fierce storm arose and the weak rafters of the sacred house began to creak ominously. “Don’t worry,” said the leader. “These rafters are actually singing hymns of praise out of love for God.” Hearing this, the Mulla pointed toward the swaying rafters and asked, “But what if the building, out of love for God, decides to bow and prostrate itself to the Almighty?”

“A neighbor who Nasruddin didn't like very much came over to his compound one day. The neighbor asked Nasruddin if he could borrow his donkey. Nasruddin not wanting to lend his donkey to the neighbor he didn't like told him, "I would love to loan you my donkey but only yesterday my brother came from the next town to use it to carry his wheat to the mill to be grounded. The donkey sadly is not here." The neighbor was disappointed. But he thanked Nasruddin and began to walk away. Just as he got a few steps away, Mullah Nasruddin's donkey, which was in the back of his compound all the time, let out a big bray. The neighbor turned to Nasruddin and said, "Mullah Sahib, I thought you told me that your donkey was not here. Mullah Nasruddin turned to the neighbor and said, "My friend, who are you going to believe? Me or the donkey?”

An esteemed doctor, came to the Mulla’s sickbed, examined him carefully, and then said to the sick man’s wife, “Madam, I am sorry to inform you that your husband has passed away.” The Mulla protested in a feeble voice, “But I’m alive! I’m alive!” “Quiet!” his wife retorted. “Don’t argue with the doctor!”

~ "The Mulla has tamed his donkey ego— it knows in which direction to go. The Mulla does not believe in hierarchy and faults religious institutions and clerics for their rigidity and lust for glory and power. Rather than turn his back on students, he prefers to face them. Most of all, he is happy to break conventional patterns of thinking and being. The Mulla does not care what you think of him; he does not seek your approval. Without a reputation or image to uphold, he laughs at his foibles and invites you to join him. He has a rare readiness to admit his mistakes. Because he does not aspire to be a teacher, he is a true teacher." ~ Imam Jamal Rahman

Art ~ Rokni Haerizadeh, We Will Join Hands in Love and Rebuild Our Country
“This guy is a jester personified. He lives with his brother in Dubai, and he can’t go back to Iran because his work is critical of the regime. The piece is about the movement to rebuild Iran after the war. He’s making fun of how the nation was all about that kumbaya spirit, equating it to everyone being crammed into an animal going nowhere. The man riding the animal is Mullah Nasruddin, a well-known comedy character who supposedly rode his donkey backwards. The figure to the side is a western photographer, watching the ludicrous spectacle.”