Letter from America: Humors of Molla Nasreddin Hodja

Civilization is often measured in terms of arts and literature and never in terms of might or strength of a nation to subdue other nations. That is why, we never hear about Hun, Scythian and Mongol civilization, despite the fact that savages of the past like Attila the Hun (the barbarian), Genghis Khan and Hulagu Khan were able to terrorize millions and kill hundreds of thousands of people and control vast territories.

Fortunately, from very early on wherever Islam made an inroad it was able to either refine indigenous civilization of a nation that was already enjoying a certain level of civilization, or civilize a people that was hitherto drowned in savagery. It is, therefore, not difficult to fathom why for nearly a thousand years (7th-17th century C.E. or 1st-11th century A.H.) while most of the European nations were sunk in savagery, Muslim nations in Asia, Africa and Moorish Spain were enjoying fruits of such a lofty civilization that was simply superb. Muslim nations were, therefore, able to breed a multitude of great scientists, philosophers, doctors, mathematicians, astronomers, social scientists, geographers, historians, writers, poets, novelists, linguists, artists and humorists.

Nasreddin Hodja (Hoca in Turkish; the letter ‘c’ is pronounced as ‘dj’) was one such Muslim humorist from Turkey (in the 13th century C.E.), a county not known for arts and literature in the era that preceded Islam.

The historical Nasreddin Hodja can be considered a populist philosopher, wise and witty man. The stories attributed to him display a biting sense of humor and the anecdotes themselves have satirical qualities that go immediately to the heart of the matter. Molla's observations involve people from all walks of life, from beggar to king, politician to clergy, and scholar to merchant. His stories often point to an obvious truth which has been taken for granted and usually include an unexpected twist that makes his ideas witty and fresh. Though Molla often appears as a fool, he usually is the one who cleverly exposes other people's foolishness. Subtleties of his pronouncements may not be apparent at first, but cannot be dismissed off-hand even by the most skeptical.

The stories are eternal; they deal with social issues, which are fundamental to human nature, social injustice, class privilege, selfishness, cowardice, laziness, incompetence, ignorance, narrow-mindedness and all kinds of fraud. Though most of the stories are set in the 13th century teahouses, bath houses, caravanserai and market places, Molla's observations about human nature are so insightful and told so cleverly that they have the power to amuse and captivate us centuries later. The incidents and characters in these stories illustrate the comic, eccentric and inconsistent aspects of human beings through Nasreddin Hodja's astute observations.

Nasreddin Hodja was buried in Aksehir, near present day Konya province in the Turkish Republic, in a tomb that symbolizes the absurdity in life, which he had loved to expose while alive. It is protected against the elements by a large diameter ribbed dome, supported by many slender columns. An imposing gate, leading to the area covered by this dome, is most visible. Two rectangular stone posts provide the anchor for the tastefully designed wrought-iron door. The two wings of the ornate gate are tightly shut and secured with an enormous padlock.

However, there is no surrounding fence and the gate stands alone on its site. Once his name is invoked, the tradition demands that seven anecdotes from Nasreddin Hodja be told.

Immortalized by his humorous and thought provoking words and actions, Nasreddin Hodja was a man of the people who perceived the world through their eyes. This won him a deep love, which has lasted for centuries. In the pessimistic and strife-torn world of the Middle Ages, Nasreddin Hodja radiated optimism. Yet this certainly did not prevent him from attacking injustice with stinging words. In his accounts he always seeks a peaceful way to get his message across, getting the better of his antagonists without argument or fight.

He loved life, and despite being a man of religion disliked nonsensical debates on religious subtleties. When he was asked about where the mourners should stand when carrying the coffin at a funeral, he retorted, "As long as you are not the one inside it doesn't matter a jot!"

Nasreddin Hodja never let trivial matters worry him. When a kite seized the liver he was carrying home for supper, he shouted, "You're wasting your time, I've got the recipe!" His affection extended to animals, and in many anecdotes we find him talking to his donkey like a friend.

One day a man stopped him and said, "Hodja, a roasted stuffed turkey just went past." Nasreddin Hodja replied, "What has that got to do with me?" "But it went to your house,” said the man. "What has that got to do with you?" retorted Nasreddin Hodja.

His optimism is illustrated by one of his most famous stories.

One day a man found him pouring the remains of his yogurt into Aksehir Lake. "Hodja, what are you doing?" the man asked. "I am turning the lake into yogurt," he replied. When the man laughed at him, he said, "But you never know perhaps it might."

This endorsement of hope against all odds has remained valid in every era.

Among the things that annoy Nasreddin Hodja most are meanness, bigotry, injustice, corrupt judges, insolence and sycophancy.

The anecdotes of Nasreddin Hodja are well known from the shores of Aegean to the Eastern reaches of Sinkiang, where he is known as "Effendi." One of his statues adorns a city square in Bukhara, depicting the esteemed Hodja riding his donkey backwards, as told in one of his anecdotes. It should be pointed out here that some variations of the anecdotes exist in the way they are told through time and space. Many a punch lines from his anecdotes have long since reached the status of proverbs. Mark Twain's Library of Humor of the late 19th century includes a story attributed to Hodja.

Here are some stories that you may enjoy.

God’s Ways

One hot day, Hodja was taking it easy in the shade of a walnut tree. After a time, he started eyeing speculatively, the huge pumpkins growing on vines and the small walnuts growing on a majestic tree.

"Allah is great and Allah is wise," said the Hodja, "sometimes I just can't understand the ways of Allah. Was it indeed wise that such a great tree as this be created to bear only tiny walnuts as fruit? Behold the stout stem and strong limbs. They could easily carry the pumpkins that grow from spindly vines in yonder field, vines that cannot begin to bear the weight of their own fruit. Should not walnuts grow on weakly vines and pumpkins on sturdy trees?"

So thinking, the Hodja dosed off, only to be awakened by a walnut that fell from the tree, striking him on his forehead. He got up at once and lifting up his hands and face to heavens in supplication, said: “Oh, my God! Forgive my questioning Your ways! You are All-Wise. Where would I have been now if pumpkins grew on trees!”

Never again did Nasreddin Hodja question the wisdom of Allah.

Mortal's Way

One day four boys approached Hodja and gave him a bagful of walnuts.

"Hodja, we can't divide these walnuts among us evenly. So would you help us, please?"

Hodja asked, "Do you want God's way of distribution or mortal's way?"

"God's way" the children answered.

Hodja opened the bag and gave two handfuls of walnuts to one child, one handful to the other, only two walnuts to the third child and none to the fourth.

"What kind of distribution is this?" the children asked baffled.

"Well, this is God's way," he answered. "He gives some people a lot, some people a little and nothing to others. If you had asked for mortal's way I would have given the same amount to everybody."

Those Who Know and Those Who Don't

Friday is the day of gathering (Jumu’ah) for Muslims and it is customary for the Imams or prayer leaders to preach to the congregation before the midday congregation prayers. One day Nasreddin Hodja came to the mosque unprepared for his sermon. He climbed up to the pulpit and addressing the people said: "Oh, good people of Aksehir, do you know what I am now about to tell you?"

"No," came the reply.

"Since you don't know about so important a subject, I'd better save my breath."

So saying the Hodja got down the pulpit and walked out of the mosque.

Next Friday, when he put the same question to the congregation: "Yes," was the reply.

"In that case, there is no reason for my wasting your time," said the Hodja and walked out.

The third Friday when confronted with the same question, half the congregation said "Yes" and the other half "No."

"Well, that's all to the good," said the Hodja this time. "Those of you who know can tell all about it to those of you who don't."

Thank You, Allah!

Hodja had lost his donkey. While he was looking for it, he kept repeating, "Thank You, Allah!"

"Hodja, why are you thanking God all the time?" people asked.

"I am grateful that I was not on the donkey, otherwise I would be lost, too,” he answered.

It Doesn’t Really Matter

One day the Hodja was resting on a crossroad on the edge of the village. A stranger stopped to ask for directions. When Hodja asked him which village he was heading for, the stranger looked hesitant and said he was not really sure.

“Then it does not matter which road you take,” said the Hodja, with the trace of a smile on his face.

Turban

The wit and wisdom of Nasreddin Hoja never leaves him tongue-tied. One day an illiterate man comes to Hoja with a letter he had received.

“Hoja, please read this letter to me.”

Hoja looks at the letter, but cannot make out a single word. So he tells the man: “I am sorry, but I cannot read this.”

The man cries: “Shame on you, Hoja! You must be ashamed before the turban you wear (i.e. the sign of education).”

Hoja removes the turban from his own head and places it on the head of the illiterate man, saying: “There, now you wear the turban. Read the letter yourself.”

InshaAllah

Hodja was determined to be decisive and efficient. One day he told his wife he would plow his largest field on the far side of the river and be back for a big dinner. She urged him to say, "InshaAllah (if Allah is willing)."

He told her whether Allah was willing or not, that was his plan. The frightened wife raised her hands and asked for his forgiveness from Allah.

Hodja loaded his wooden plow, hitched up the oxen to the wagon, climbed on his donkey, and set off.

But within the short span of a day the river flooded from a cloudburst and washed his donkey downstream, and one of the oxen broke a leg in the mud, leaving Hodja to hitch himself in its place to plow the field.

Having finished only half the field, at the sunset he set out for home exhausted and soaking wet. The river was still high so he had to wait until long past dark to cross over.

After midnight, a very wet but much wiser Hodja knocked at his door.

“Who is there?” asked his wife.

“I think it is me, Hodja,” he replied, “InshaAllah!”

Riding the Donkey Backwards

One day Nasreddin Hodja was riding his donkey backwards, facing towards the back.

“Hodja,” the people said, “you are sitting on your donkey backwards!”

“No,” he replied. “It's not that I am sitting on the donkey backwards, I'm just interested in where I have been coming from more than where I am going, my friends.”

A Close Call

One night Nasreddin awoke, thinking he had heard a strange noise outside his window. Looking out, he saw a suspicious white figure.

"Who goes there?" shouted the Hodja.

Hearing no reply, he woke up his wife and asked her to bring his bow and arrow.

“There is a thief in the garden and I am going to shoot him,” he said.

In moonlight, he reached for his bow, set an arrow to the string, took aim, and shot in the direction of the mysterious figure. Satisfied that the intruder now would do him no harm, Nasreddin returned to bed and slept until dawn.

By morning's light he examined the scene outside his window, only to discover his own white shirt hanging on the clothesline and pierced by the arrow that he had shot during the night.

"Thank God, that was a close call," murmured the Hodja.

“Why are you thanking God?” his wife asked.

"Don’t you see, the arrow went right through the chest? What if I had been wearing it at the time," he replied.

Dr. Siddiqui has written nine books. His book “ANECDOTES of Molla Nasreddin Hodja for Children of All Ages” is now available from Kitab Bhavan, New Delhi, India.

- Asian Tribune -