The story goes, one of the stories of a hundred, that Cogia Nasr Eddin Efendi one day ascending into the pulpit to preach, said, 'O believers, do ye not know what I am going to say to you?' The congregation answered, 'Dear Cogia Efendi, we do not know.' Then said the Cogia, 'What shall I say to you until you do know?' One day the Cogia ascending again into the pulpit, said, 'O Mussulmen, do ye not know what I am going to say to you?' 'We do know, ' they replied. Then said the Cogia, 'Some of ye do know already, what should I have to say to you?' Then descending from the chair he went out. The assembly separated quite astonished, and, when they were out, continued to say, 'Which are those of us who know? Which are those who do not know?' The Cogia one day again mounting the chair in the same manner, said, 'O brothers, when I said to ye, "Do you know what I shall say?" there were some who said, "We know," others said, "We do not." It were now well that those among ye who knew what the Cogia said should teach those that did not.'
The Turkish Jester or, The Pleasantries of Cogia Nasr Eddin Effendi: Large Print By George Henry Borrow A breeze, which pleasant stories bears, Relicks of long departed years.' The story goes, one of the stories of a hundred, that Cogia Nasr Eddin Efendi one day ascending into the pulpit to preach, said, 'O believers, do ye not know what I am going to say to you?' The congregation answered, 'Dear Cogia Efendi, we do not know.' Then said the Cogia, 'What shall I say to you until you do know?' One day the Cogia ascending again into the pulpit, said, 'O Mussulmen, do ye not know what I am going to say to you?' 'We do know, ' they replied. Then said the Cogia, 'Some of ye do know already, what should I have to say to you?' Then descending from the chair he went out. The assembly separated quite astonished, and, when they were out, continued to say, 'Which are those of us who know? Which are those who do not know?' The Cogia one day again mounting the chair in the same manner, said, 'O brothers, when I said to ye, "Do you know what I shall say?" there were some who said, "We know," others said, "We do not." It were now well that those among ye who knew what the Cogia said should teach those that did not.' One day Cogia Nasr Eddin Efendi said, 'O Mussulmen, give thanks to God Most High that He did not give the camel wings; for, had He given them, they would have perched upon your houses and chimneys, and have caused them to tumble upon your heads.' We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.
The following book is a story starring a man named Nasreddin. He is a character in the folklore of the Muslim world from the Balkans to China, and a hero of humorous short stories and satirical anecdotes. There are frequent statements about his existence in real life and even archaeological evidence in specific places, for example, a tombstone in the city of Akşehir, Turkey. At the moment, there is no confirmed information or serious grounds to talk about the specific date or place of Nasreddin's birth, so the question of the reality of his existence remains open. Nasreddin appears in thousands of stories, sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but often, too, a fool or the butt of a joke. A Nasreddin story usually has a subtle humor and a pedagogic nature.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
"A selection of the many stories of the famous Muslim holy fool Mulla Nasrudin, each story followed by a key to understanding its deeper meaning"--Provided by publisher.
Nasreddin is a 13th century satirical Sufi, a populist philosopher and wise man, remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes. He is, indeed, a very serious joker who shows that the world is a cosmic joke, who illustrates that the world is not a tragedy, but a comedy- the world is a place where if one can learn how to laugh, s/he has learned all- If one's prayer cannot become a deep laughter that comes from all over his/her being, if his/her prayer is sad and if s/he cannot joke with his/her god, then s/he is not truly religious. Nasreddin appears in thousands of stories- sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but often, too, a fool or the butt of a joke. He tends to be illogical yet logical, rational yet irrational, bizarre yet normal, and simple yet profoundly wise. Each of his stories finds him in a different situation, and through his viewpoint, it humorously explains and teaches us on various themes of life. The great allure of his stories is that they are funny as well as educational and thought provoking, they deal with ideas that have relevance to even today's world and people, they deal with fundamental human nature- social injustice, the privileges of the upper classes, selfishness among the common people, foibles and incompetence, ignorance and narrow-mindedness of all kinds and so on. Among thousands of his folktales/stories/jokes, we have collected 200 great ones in this book.
