The#Guarantee-Mulla Nasrudin

The Guarantee

One day at the King’s court, the King turned to Nasrudin and said, “Mulla. Since you are constantly reminding us of how clever and wise you are, tell me this: can you teach your donkey to read?”

“Absolutely,” replied Nasrudin. “A task like that would present me with no problems whatsoever.”

“Don’t mess with me,” said the King. “Seriously, can you do it?”

“Yes, I mean it,” Nasrudin replied, “and I’ll tell you what: just give me fifty thousand dollars right now, and I’ll guarantee I’ll have this donkey reading within eight years.”

“OK,” said the King. “But that donkey isn’t reading by then, I’ll put you in prison and have you tortured daily.”

So they agreed, and Nasrudin left the court.

The next day, Nasrudin’s friend asked about what happened.

“Are you out of your mind?” he said. “You can barely teach your donkey to stand still, and now you’ve guaranteed that he’ll be reading within eight years. Nasrudin-I don’t see how you’ll be able to escape a long prison sentence for this.”

“Listen,” the Mulla calmly replied, “several years from now, our King will probably be dead or out of power. And even if he manages to last as our King for that long, odds are my donkey will have passed on by then. And in the unlikely event that neither he nor my donkey is gone by seven years time, I’ll still have an entire year to plan my way out of getting punished.”

About Mulla Nasrudin

Mulla/Hodja/Hoca Nasrudin is the starring character in a vast number of amusing tales told in regions all over the world, particularly countries in or near the Middle East. The character is a unique spin on a wise sage or philosopher character. He is sometimes wise, sometimes foolish, and sometimes both. He tends to be illogical yet logical, rational yet irrational, bizarre yet normal, and simple yet profoundly wise. Each Mulla Nasrudin tale depicts him in a different situation, and through his viewpoint they humorously reveal commentary and lessons on various life themes. The great allure of the tales is that they are funny as well as and educational and thought provoking. And although most of them depict Nasrudin in an early small village setting, the tales deal with concepts that have relevance to today’s universe and people
.The Crowded Home--Mulla Nasrudin
Son Searching For a Wife- Mulla Nasrudin