For those who might not know:
Nasreddīn Hodja was a Muslim
Seljuq satirical figure, believed to have lived during the
Middle Ages (around 13th century) and considered a
populist philosopher and wise man, remembered for his funny stories and
anecdotes.
He appears in thousands of stories ranging in different Islamic cultures from Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Bengali; sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but often, too, the fool of the joke. A Nasreddin story usually has a subtle humour with a wise meaning.
The International Nasreddin Hodja fest is celebrated between 5–10 July in
Aksehir,
Turkey every year. For me, he is the funniest wise man ever. Enjoy:
Nasrudin struck up a conversation with a stranger.
At one point, he asked, “So how’s business?”
“Great,” the other replied.
“Then can I borrow ten dollars?”
“No. I don’t know you well enough to lend you money,”.
“That’s strange,” replied Nasrudin. “Where I used to live, people wouldn’t lend me money because they knew me; and now that I’ve moved here, people won’t lend me money because they don’t know me!“
