Nasruddin

Missive #774 Published 14 Aug 2026

152. Nasruddin and the Ship’s Passengers

Nasruddin was working on a ship, but he still made sure to say his daily prayers. The passengers all laughed at him, though, and they did not say their prayers.
Then, a sudden storm blew up and the ship was in danger of sinking. All the passengers began to pray loudly to God.
“O God,” each passenger shouted, “you are great and merciful! Spare us! Please! I’ll be a good Muslim! I’ll dedicate my life to your service!”
After a while, Nasruddin shouted, “I see land ahead. We’re saved!” And then he added, “You can stop your pretended devotions now.”

Missive #768 Published 7 Aug 2026

151. Nasruddin and the Small Boat

Nasruddin had gone fishing with a friend in a very small sailboat.
While they were far from shore, a sudden storm blew up unexpectedly. Fierce winds ripped the sails to shreds and waves tossed the boat back and forth.
When the little boat began to fill with water, Nasruddin was truly frightened. “What are we going to do?” he shouted at his friend.
“Do not worry,” said his friend calmly. “Let us direct our prayers to God, who is great and merciful.”
“God is great and merciful, I know,” replied Nasruddin, “but this boat is small and it is sinking!”

Missive #764 Published 31 Jul 2026

150. Nasruddin on the Run

Nasruddin was making a journey through the mountains when he was attacked by a band of robbers. Thanks to some good luck he was able to escape, but he knew the robbers were not far behind him.
As he ran, he saw a wandering holy man beside the road. “Hide yourself!” Nasruddin shouted at the dervish. “Robbers are coming! They’ll kill you for sure!”
“I serve God,” replied the dervish, “and I know he will protect me.”
“Well, that’s good,” said Nasruddin as he disappeared down the road. “But just in case, you might want to find a hiding place!”

Missive #761 Published 24 Jul 2026

149. Nasruddin and the Stray Goat

A stray goat wandered into Nasruddin’s yard. Nasruddin killed the goat and told his wife to cook the meat in a stew.
The goat stew was delicious, but then Nasruddin felt guilty about what he had done and confessed to his wife.
“You have committed a sin!” she shouted, shaking her fist at her husband. “God will call you to account.”
“Then I’ll tell God I never saw the goat,” said Nasruddin.
“God might resurrect the goat as a witness!” his wife replied.
Nasruddin smiled and said, “Then I’ll grab the goat and give it back to its real owner.”

Missive #757 Published 17 Jul 2026

148. Nasruddin and his Dog

The imam came to see Nasruddin and discovered there was a dog in Nasruddin’s kitchen.
“What is this unclean beast doing in your kitchen?” he shouted.
“This is my watchdog,” said Nasruddin. “He’s also good at herding goats.”
“You must drive this dog out of your house before God sends his avenging angels to punish you!”
“About those angels,” said Nasruddin, “are they going to watch out for thieves and herd my goats?”
“Of course not!” exclaimed the imam. “That’s not a job for God’s angels.”
“Well then,” said Nasruddin, “I think I’m going to have to keep my dog.”

Missive #752 Published 10 Jul 2026

147. The Door to Nasruddin’s House

Nasruddin had been robbed many times, but this was something new: a thief came in the night and stole Nasruddin’s door.
When Nasruddin saw what had happened, he marched to the mosque and took that door off its hinges. He then carried it home and set it up in place of his own missing door.
“I recognize that door!” shouted his wife. “That’s the door to the mosque. What do you think you’re doing?”
“God only knows who stole our door,” he replied. “And when God tells me the name of the thief, I’ll return the door to his mosque.”

Missive #747 Published 3 Jul 2026

146. Nasruddin and God’s Own Guest

A dervish arrived at Nasruddin’s house one night, dressed in fine garments and wearing an impressive turban. “I come as God’s own guest,” he proclaimed loudly, “and I thank you in advance for food and drink and also a bed in which to rest.”
Without a word, Nasruddin took the dervish by the arm and led him down the street to the mosque.
“But this place is empty and cold!” shouted the dervish. “I will find no comforts here.”
“You yourself said you were God’s own guest!” replied Nasruddin. “So please make yourself at home here in God’s own house.”

Missive #743 Published 26 Jun 2026

145. Big Mosque, Little Mosque

Nasruddin had gone to the city to settle some business, but things were not turning out well.
“You should go pray in the big mosque,” Nasruddin’s business partner told him. “Maybe God will help us.”
Nasruddin prayed in the big mosque, but his business still went badly.
He then went and prayed in a small mosque, and the next day he was able to settle his business matters favorably.
Nasruddin then returned to the big mosque and said, “Shame on you, big mosque! You look powerful and important, but it was the little mosque who finally helped me, not you.”

Missive #739 Published 19 Jun 2026

144. The Cow and the Colt

Nasruddin’s donkey had given birth but died in labor.
Nasruddin wanted to save the donkey’s colt, but that meant giving it milk from the cow, and Nasruddin needed that cow’s milk for his own family.
In despair, he prayed. “O God,” he cried, “please relieve me of this burden and take the little colt into heaven as you did its mother.”
Nasruddin was shocked to discover the next morning that his cow was dead, not the colt.
“O God,” he cried, “I don’t understand! How is it possible that you can’t tell the difference between a cow and a donkey?”

Missive #733 Published 12 Jun 2026

143. The Donkey on the Ledge

As Nasruddin was leading his donkey down a steep mountain path, the donkey stumbled and fell.
“O God,” Nasruddin shouted, “if you save my poor donkey, I’ll donate a gold coin to the mosque!”
Miraculously, the donkey landed on the ledge below. Nasruddin was amazed. “Thank you, God!” he exclaimed. “I had no idea you were so desperate for cash!”
Then the ledge under the donkey started to crumble.
“Okay, God, okay! I’ll donate two gold coins.”
Then the ledge collapsed and the donkey plunged to its death. Nasruddin sighed. “I never thought God would drive such a hard bargain.”