Editing Nasreddin

{{Short description|Muslim world folklore character}}
{{About||people with the name|Nasir al-Din|other uses|Nasir al-Din (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
[[File:Nasreddin.jpg|thumb|A 17th-century miniature of Nasruddin, from the collection of the [[Topkapı Palace]] Museum|205x205px]]

'''Nasreddin''' ({{IPAc-en|n|æ|s|ˈ|r|ɛ|d|ᵻ|n}}<ref>{{langx|tr|Nasreddin Hoca}}, {{langx|ota|نصر الدين خواجه}}, ''{{lang|ota-Latn|Nasreddīn Hodja}}'', {{langx|fa|خواجه نصرالدین}}, {{langx|ps|ملا نصرالدین}}, {{langx|ar|نصرالدین جحا}} / [[ALA-LC]]: ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA-LC|Naṣraddīn Juḥā}}'', {{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|ملا نصر الدین}}}} / [[ALA-LC]]: ''{{transliteration|ur|ALA-LC|Mullā Naṣru l-dīn}}'', {{lang-uz-Latn|Nosiriddin Xo'ja}}, {{langx|bs|Nasrudin Hodža}}, {{langx|sq|Nastradin Hoxha, Nastradini}}, {{langx|ro|Nastratin Hogea}}</ref>) or '''Nasreddin Hodja''' (variants include [[Mullah]] Nasreddin Hodja, Nasruddin Hodja, Mullah Nasruddin, Mullah Nasriddin, Khoja Nasriddin, Khaja Nasruddin) (1208–1285) is a character commonly found in the [[folklore]]s of the [[Muslim world]], and a hero of humorous [[short stories]] and satirical [[anecdotes]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hunziker |first1=Sara |editor1-last=Ramona |editor1-first=Mihaila |title=Myth, Symbol, and Ritual: Elucidatory Paths to the Fantastic Unreality |date=2019 |publisher=University of Bucharest |isbn=978-6-061-61037-2 |pages=357–361}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Attardo |editor1-first=Salvatore |title=Encyclopedia of Humor Studies |date=2014 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-1-483-34617-5 |pages=108–111}}</ref>

Nasreddin appears in thousands of stories, sometimes witty, sometimes wise, but in many of which he is presented as a (holy) fool or as the butt of a joke. A Nasreddin story usually has a subtle humour and a [[Pedagogy|pedagogic]] nature.<ref name="iranica2">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=MOLLA NASREDDIN i. THE PERSON |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/molla-nasreddin-i-the-person |access-date=2015-12-07 |last=Javadi |first=Hasan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117054414/https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/molla-nasreddin-i-the-person |archive-date=17 November 2015}}</ref> The International Nasreddin Hodja festival is celebrated between 5 and 10 July every year in Akşehir.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Akşehir Belediyesi - Nasreddin Hoca Şenliği |url=https://www.aksehir.bel.tr/portal/index.php/nasreddin-hoca/nasreddin-hoca-senligi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817042611/https://www.aksehir.bel.tr/portal/index.php/nasreddin-hoca/nasreddin-hoca-senligi |archive-date=17 August 2011 |website=aksehir.bel.tr}}</ref>

In 2020, an application to include "The tradition of telling comic tales about Nasreddin Khoja" in the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list]] was jointly submitted by the governments of [[Azerbaijan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkey|Türkiye]] and [[Turkmenistan]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Turkey submits four cultural values to UNESCO |url=https://www.trt.net.tr/espanol/cultura-y-arte/2020/04/27/lista-del-patrimonio-cultural-inmaterial-ya-se-puede-visitar-virtualmente-1406255 |website=Turkish Radio and Television Corporation |access-date=3 April 2020}}</ref>

== Origin and legacy ==
{{Sufism}}
Claims about his origin are made by many ethnic groups.<ref>İlhan Başgöz, ''Studies in Turkish folklore, in honor of Pertev N. Boratav'', Indiana University, 1978, p. 215. ("[https://books.google.com/books?id=40faAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Quelle+est+la+nationalite+de+Nasreddin+Hodja+-+est-il+turc,+avar,+tatar,+tadjik,+persan+ou+ousbek Quelle est la nationalité de Nasreddin Hodja – est-il turc, avar, tatar, tadjik, persan ou ousbek? Plusieurs peuples d'Orient se disputent sa nationalité, parce qu'ils considerent qu'il leur appartient.]") {{in lang|fr}}</ref><ref name="Perry">John R. Perry, "Cultural currents in the Turco-Persian world", in ''New Perspectives on Safavid Iran: Majmu`ah-i Safaviyyah in Honour of Roger Savory'', Taylor & Francis, {{ISBN|978-1-136-99194-3}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=1uCaELAsv3MC&q=%22Legend+says%22&pg=PA92 p. 92.]</ref> Many sources give the birthplace of Nasreddin as Hortu Village in [[Sivrihisar]], [[Eskişehir Province]], present-day [[Turkey]], in the 13th century, after which he settled in [[Akşehir]],<ref name="Perry" /> and later in [[Konya]] under the [[Seljuq dynasty|Seljuq]] rule, where he died in 1275/6 or 1285/6 CE.<ref name="Nasreddin Hoca" /><ref name="psiche" /> It is claimed that the tomb of Nasreddin is in [[Akşehir]], and the International Nasreddin Hodja Festival is held annually in Akşehir, 5–10 July.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aksehir's International Nasreddin Hodja Festival and Aviation Festival – Turkish Daily News 27 Jun 2005 |url=https://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=16409 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930165158/https://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=16409 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |access-date=31 August 2007}}</ref>

There are also opposing views to the effect that Nasreddin's origin lies in [[Central Asia]].<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Attardo |editor1-first=Salvatore |title=Encyclopedia of Humor Studies |date=2014 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-1-483-34617-5 |page=108}}</ref>

The Arabic version of the character, known as ''Juha'' ({{langx|ar|جحا}}), is the oldest attested version of the character. The most divergent is mentioned in [[al-Jahiz]]'s book "Concerning mules" ({{lang|ar|القول في البغال}}" ''Alqawl fi albighal''). According to [[al-Dhahabi]]'s book, "The balance of moderation (advisable) in the criticism of men" ("{{lang|ar|ميزان الاعتدال في نقد الرجال}}" ''Mīzān al-iʕtidāl fī naqd al-rijāl''), his full name was Abu al-Ghusn Dujayn al-Fizari, he lived under the [[Umayyad dynasty|Umayyads]] in [[Kufa]], and his mother was said to be a servant to [[Anas ibn Malik]]; thus he was one of the [[tabi'un]] in [[Sunni]] tradition.<ref>الذهبي ميزان الاعتدال (المجلد 1)، ص 326</ref>

{{Blockquote| and of them (juha), and he is nicknamed ''aba ghusn'', and what has been told of him suggests astuteness and intelligence, although he be overwhelmingly made to appear foolish, and it has been said that some who would malign him fabricate deliberately tales intended to discredit him.|sign=[[Ibn al-Jawzi]]<ref>"ابن شاكر الكتبي "عيون التواريخ" ص 373 وما بعدها</ref>}}

The oldest manuscript of Nasreddin dates to 1571. Some of the stories, however, are in the ''[[Philogelos]]''{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} and Aesop's fables.<ref>''[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54690/54690-h/54690-h.htm Der Hodscha Nasreddin]'', Albert Wesselski, sidenote to story 201</ref>

Today, Nasreddin stories are told in many countries - especially those of the [[Muslim world]] - and have been translated into many languages. Certain regions independently developed a '[[wise fool]]' character similar to Nasreddin, and the stories have become part of a larger whole. In many regions, Nasreddin is a major part of the culture and is quoted or alluded to frequently in daily life. Since there are thousands of different Nasreddin stories, one can be found to fit almost any occasion.<ref>Ohebsion, Rodney (2004) ''A Collection of Wisdom'', Immediex Publishing, {{ISBN|1-932968-19-9}}.</ref> Nasreddin often appears as a whimsical character in an extensive [[Folklore|folk]] tradition of [[Vignette (literature)|vignette]]s in the following languages: [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Adyghe language|Adyghe]], [[Albanian language|Albanian]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], Afghan, [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]], Chinese, [[Greek people|Greek]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hebrew]], [[Hindi]], [[Judeo-Spanish]], [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]], [[Romanian language|Romanian]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]], Russian, Uzbek, [[Ubykh language|Ubykh]], and [[Urdu language|Urdu]].

{{blockquote| Some people say that, whilst uttering what seemed madness, he was, in reality, divinely inspired, and that it was not madness but wisdom that he uttered.|sign=''The Turkish Jester or The Pleasantries of Cogia Nasr Eddin Effendi''<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16244 |title=The Turkish Jester or The Pleasantries of Cogia Nasr Eddin Effendi |others=Translated from the Turkish by [[George Borrow]] |year=1884 |first=Nasreddin |last=Hoca }}</ref>
}} Azerbaijani scholars {{Interlanguage link|Mammadhuseyn Tahmasib|lt=Mammadhuseyn Tahmasib|az|Məmmədhüseyn Təhmasib}} and {{Interlanguage link|Mammadagha Sultanov|lt=Mammadagha Sultanov|az|Məmmədağa Sultanov}} claimed that the folklore hero Molla Nasraddin was the minister of the [[Ilkhanate]] period, [[Nasir al-Din al-Tusi]]. The reasons for this are that they lived in the same period, Tusi included anecdotes in one of his works, ridiculed astrologers as a scientist, Molla Nasraddin went to [[Timur|Emir Timur]] as a representative of the country, the parallel between Nasir al-Din al-Tusi being sent to [[Hulagu Khan]] by the ruler of [[Alamut]] and both having the same name—Hasan. However, Mammadhuseyn Tahmasib stated that this information is not conclusive evidence.{{Snf|Boratav|2014|p=77}}{{Snf|Boratav|2014|p=39}}

== Name ==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2024}}
[[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Goha story cloth.jpg|thumb|A Goha story cloth by Ahmed Yossery (2007) depicting a version of [[The miller, his son and the donkey]], [[The Children's Museum of Indianapolis]]]]

Many peoples of the [[Near East|Near]], Middle East, South Asia and Central Asia claim Nasreddin as their own (e.g., Turks,<ref name="nasruddin">The outrageous Wisdom of Nasruddin, ''[https://www.nasruddin.org/ Mullah Nasruddin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070529214313/https://www.nasruddin.org/ |date=29 May 2007 }}''. Retrieved 19 February 2007.</ref><ref name="Nasreddin Hoca">{{Cite web |title=Nasreddin Hoca |url=https://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN/BelgeGoster.aspx?17A16AE30572D3138DF7C92FCA5B4D0584F186FD0FCCD518 |publisher=Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091512/https://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN/BelgeGoster.aspx?17A16AE30572D3138DF7C92FCA5B4D0584F186FD0FCCD518 |archive-date=29 September 2007 |access-date=28 December 2006}}</ref><ref name="sysinia">[https://www.sysindia.com/emagazine/mulla/mulla.html Sysindia.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218094252/https://www.sysindia.com/emagazine/mulla/mulla.html |date=18 February 2007 }}, Mulla Nasreddin Stories. Retrieved 20 February 2007.</ref><ref>[https://www.silk-road.com/folklore/nasreddin.html Silk-road.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512095849/https://www.silk-road.com/folklore/nasreddin.html |date=12 May 2008 }}, Nasreddin Hoca</ref> Afghans,<ref name=sysinia /> Iranians,<ref name=nasruddin /><ref>{{Cite web |title=First Iranian Mullah who Was a Master in Anecdotes |url=https://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/printer_28786.shtml |work=Persian Journal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061136/https://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/printer_28786.shtml |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=26 July 2009}}</ref> and Uzbeks).<ref name="psiche">{{Cite book |last=Fiorentini |first=Gianpaolo |title=Storie di Nasreddin |publisher=Libreria Editrice Psiche |year=2004 |isbn=978-88-85142-71-8 |location=Toronto |chapter=Nasreddin, una biografia possibile |access-date=28 December 2006 |chapter-url=https://www.psiche.info/estratti/psiche/StorieDiNasreddin.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040407123310/https://www.psiche.info/estratti/psiche/StorieDiNasreddin.htm |archive-date=7 April 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref> His name is spelt in a wide variety of ways: ''Nastradin'',  ''Nasrudeen'', ''Nasrudin'', ''Nasruddin'', ''Nasriddin'', ''Nasr ud-Din'', ''Nasredin'', ''Nasiruddin,'' ''Naseeruddin'', ''Nasr&nbsp;Eddin'', ''Nastradhin'', ''Nasreddine'', ''Nastratin'', ''Nusrettin'', ''Nasrettin'', ''Nostradin'', ''Nastradin'' (lit.: [[Nasr (surname)|Victory]] of the [[Din (Arabic)|Deen]]) and ''Nazaruddin''. It is sometimes preceded or followed by a title or honorific used in the corresponding cultures: "Hoxha", "Khwaje", "Koja", "[[Khoja (Turkestan)|Hodja]]", "Hoja", "Hojja", "Hodscha", "Hodža", "Hoca", "Hocca","Hooka",
"Hogea", "[[Mullah]]", "Mulla", "Mula", "Molla", "[[Efendi]]", "Afandi", "Ependi" ({{lang|ar|أفندي}} '''afandī''), "[[Hajji]]". In several cultures he is named by the title alone.

In Arabic-speaking countries this character is known as "Juha", "Jiha", "Djoha", "Djuha", "Dschuha", "Chotzas", "Goha" ({{lang|ar|جحا}} ''juḥā''). Juha was originally a separate folk character found in Arabic literature as early as the 9th century, and was widely popular by the 11th century.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MypbfKdMePIC&pg=PA426 |title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-415-96691-7 |editor-last=Josef W. Meri |volume=1: A–K |page=426|publisher=Taylor & Francis }}</ref> Lore of the two characters became amalgamated in the 19th century when collections were translated from Arabic into Turkish and Persian.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-sj5cJz0_OsC&pg=PA661 |title=The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-313-33443-6 |editor-last=Donald Haase |volume=2: G–P |page=661|publisher=Greenwood Press }}</ref>

In Sicily and Southern Italy he is known as "[[Giufà]]", derived from the Arabic character Juha. In Maltese, his name is 'Ġaħan'.

In the [[Swahili people|Swahili]] and [[Indonesia]]n culture, many of his stories are being told under the name of "Abunuwasi" or "Abunawas", though this confuses Nasreddin with an entirely different man – the poet [[Abu Nuwas]], known for [[Homoerotic poetry|homoerotic verse]].

[[File:驴背上的阿凡提.jpg|thumb|Statue of Afanti in Xinjiang, China]]
In China, where stories of him are well known, he is known by the various [[transliteration]]s from his [[Uyghur language|Uyghur]] name, [[:wikt:阿凡提|阿凡提]] (Āfántí) and 阿方提 (Āfāngtí). The Uyghurs believe that he was from [[Xinjiang]], while the [[Uzbeks]] believe he was from [[Bukhara]].<ref name=fedai /> Shanghai Animation Film Studio produced a 13-episode Nasreddin related animation called 'The Story of Afanti'/ 阿凡提 in 1979, which became one of the most influential animations in China's history. The musical Nasirdin Apandim features the legend of Nasreddin [[effendi]] ("sir, lord"), largely sourced from Uyghur folklore.

In [[Central Asia]], he is commonly known as "Afandi" or "Afanti". The Central Asian peoples also claim his local origin, as do Uyghurs.

Afandi or Afanti originates from Turkish "Efendi" ([[Effendi]]) and this is a title still used to show respect in Turkey. The combination "Hoja Efendi" is used in Turkey very often for the Muslim scholars in modern times as well. The word "Efendi" is ultimately derived from Greek "Authentes" (αὐθέντης) into Turkish.  "Nasreddin Hoja Efendi" was shortened as "Efendi" in time. Subsequently "Efendi" happened to be the proper name as "Affandi" in Central Asia for Nasreddin Hoja.

== Tales ==
The Nasreddin stories are known throughout the [[Middle East]] and have touched cultures around the world. Superficially, most of the Nasreddin stories may be told as jokes or humorous anecdotes. They are told in the teahouses and [[caravanserai]]s of Asia and in homes and on the radio. But it is inherent in a Nasreddin story that it may be understood at many levels. There is the joke, followed by a moral and usually the little extra which brings the consciousness of the potential mystic a little further on the way to realization.<ref>Idris Shah (1964), ''The Sufis'', London: W. H. Allen {{ISBN|0-385-07966-4}}.</ref><ref>Ron J. Suresha (2010), ''The The Uncommon Sense of the Immortal Nasruddin'', New Milford, Conn.: Bear Bones Books {{ISBN|978-1-98116-277-2}}.</ref>

=== Examples ===
==== The Sermon ====
:Once Nasreddin was invited to deliver a [[sermon]]. When he had gone up into the [[Minbar|pulpit]], he asked, ''Do you know what I am going to say?'' The audience replied ''"no"'', so he announced, ''I have no desire to speak to people who don't even know what I will be talking about!'' and left.
:The people felt embarrassed and called him back again the next day. This time, when he asked the same question, the people replied ''yes''. So Nasreddin said, ''Well, since you already know what I am going to say, I won't waste any more of your time!'' and left.
:Now the people were really perplexed. They decided to try one more time and once again invited the Mullah to speak the following week. Once again he asked the same question – ''Do you know what I am going to say?'' Now the people were prepared and so half of them answered "yes" while the other half replied "no". So Nasreddin said ''Let the half who know what I am going to say tell it to the half who don't,'' and left.<ref>Many written versions of this tale exist, for example in {{Cite book |last=Kelsey |first=Alice |url=https://archive.org/details/oncehodja00kels |title=Once the Hodja |publisher=David McKay Company Inc |year=1943 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

==== Whom do you believe? ====
[[File:Nasr Eddin Hodja statue in Bukhara Liab -i-Haouz complex.JPG|thumb|Nasreddin Hodja in [[Bukhara]]]]
[[File:Harikalar Diyari Nasrettin Hoca 05981 nevit.jpg|thumb|Nasreddin Hodja in [[Ankara]]]]
:A neighbour came to the gate of Hodja Nasreddin's yard. The Hodja went to meet him outside.
:"Would you mind, Hodja," the neighbour asked, "can you lend me your donkey today? I have some goods to transport to the next town."
:The Hodja didn't feel inclined to lend out the animal to that particular man, but, not wishing to appear rude by simply saying "no", he answered:
:"I'm sorry, but I've already lent him to somebody else."
:All of a sudden the donkey let out a loud bray from behind the wall of the yard.
:"But Hodja," the neighbour exclaimed. "I can hear it behind that wall!"
:"Whom do you believe," the Hodja replied indignantly, "the donkey or your Hodja?"<ref>Widely retold, for instance in {{Cite book |last=Shah |first=Idries |title=The Sufis |title-link=The Sufis |publisher=Jonathan Cape |year=1964 |isbn=978-0-86304-074-0 |pages=78–79 |author-link=Idries Shah}}</ref>

==== Taste the same ====
:Some children saw Nasreddin coming from the vineyard with two baskets full of grapes loaded on his donkey. They gathered around him and asked him to give them a taste.
:Nasreddin picked up a bunch of grapes and gave each child a grape.
:"You have so much, but you gave us so little," the children whined.
:"There is no difference whether you have a basketful or a small piece. They all taste the same," Nasreddin answered, and continued on his way.<ref>A similar story is presented in {{Cite book |last=Shah |first=Idries |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780863040405/page/60 |title=The subtleties of the inimitable Mulla Nasrudin |publisher=Octagon Press |year=1985 |isbn=978-0-86304-040-5 |edition=Reprinted. |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780863040405/page/60 60] |url-access=registration}}</ref>

==== Nasreddin's ring ====
:Mullah had lost his ring in the living room. He searched for it for a while, but since he could not find it, he went out into the yard and began to look there. His wife, who saw what he was doing, asked: "Mullah, you lost your ring in the room, why are you looking for it in the yard?" Mullah stroked his beard and said: "The room is too dark and I can't see very well. I came out to the courtyard to look for my ring because there is much more light out here".<ref>{{Cite web |title="Did You Lose the Keys Here?" "No, But the Light Is Much Better Here" {{!}} Quote Investigator |url=https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/04/11/better-light/ |last=garson |date=11 April 2013 |access-date=2017-03-02}}</ref>

==In the literature and folk tradition of Central Asia and the Caucasus ==

[[Uzbeks]] consider Nasreddin an Uzbek who was born and lived in [[Bukhara]],<ref name="fedai">{{Cite web |title=Mulla or Hodja Nasreddin as seen by Cypriot Turks and Greeks |url=https://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol16/mulla.pdf |last=Hixarid Fedai |website=folklore.ee}}</ref> and stories about him are called ''latifa'' or ''afandi''.
There are at least two collections of Uzbek stories related to Nasriddin Afandi:
* "Afandining qirq bir passhasi" – (Forty-one flies of Afandi) – Zohir A'lam, [[Tashkent]]
* "Afandining besh xotini" – (Five wives of Afandi)
[[File:Molla Nasreddin, 1906, No. 02, p. 01.jpg|thumb|''Molla Nasraddin'' cover (1906, #2)|306x306px]]
Nasreddin was the main character in a magazine, called simply ''[[Molla Nasraddin (magazine)|Molla Nasraddin]]'', published in [[Azerbaijan]] and "read across the Muslim world from Morocco to Iran". The eight-page [[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijani]] [[satire|satirical]] periodical was published in [[Tiflis]] (from 1906 to 1917), [[Tabriz]] (in 1921) and [[Baku]] (from 1922 to 1931) in the [[Azerbaijani language|Azeri]] and occasionally Russian languages. Founded by [[Jalil Mammadguluzadeh]], it depicted [[social inequality|inequality]], [[cultural assimilation]], and [[Police corruption|corruption]] and ridiculed the backward lifestyles and values of clergy and religious fanatics.<ref>[https://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/43_folder/43_articles/43_mollamag.html Molla Nasraddin – The Magazine: Laughter that Pricked the Conscience of a Nation] by Jala Garibova. ''Azerbaijan International''. Vol. 4:3 (Autumn 1996), pp. 22-23</ref> The magazine was frequently banned<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [https://www.baku.ru/enc-show.php?cmm_id=0&id=410&c=930 ''Molla Nasraddin''], an entry from the [[Great Soviet Encyclopaedia]] by A.Sharif. ''Baku.ru''</ref> but had a lasting influence on Azerbaijani and Iranian literature.<ref>{{in lang|fa}} [https://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/worldnews/story/2006/07/060721_mv-constitution-en-satire-poem.shtml Molla Nasraddin and Jalil Mammadguluzadeh] by [[Ebrahim Nabavi]]. BBC Persian. 6 July 2006</ref>

== In India ==
Mulla Nasruddin, a figure in Islamic folklore, gained further popularity through the discourses of the mystic [[Rajneesh|Osho Rajneesh]]. Osho frequently shared Nasruddin's tales in both [[Hindi]] and English, expressing a deep admiration for the character. He once said, "I have loved no one as I have loved Nasruddin. He is one of the men who has brought religion and laughter together; otherwise, they have always stood back to back. Nasruddin forced them to drop their old enmity and become friends, and when religion and laughter meet, when meditation laughs, and when laughter meditates, the miracle happens… the miracle of all miracles" (Osho, Books I Have Loved). This quote highlights Osho's appreciation for Nasruddin's ability to blend humor with spirituality, a rare and cherished combination.

He is known as ''Mullah Nasruddin'' in South Asian children's books.<ref name="Naqvi 2016">{{Cite web |last=Naqvi |first=Hassan |date=2016-02-06 |title=Problems with privatisation |url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/02/06/features/problems-with-privatisation/ |access-date=2016-02-14 |website=Pakistan Today}}</ref><ref name="SENSEX 1977">{{Cite news |last=SENSEX |date=1977-02-15 |title=Ranga Shankara to provide professional help to amateur theatre companies in Karnataka |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/ranga-shankara-to-provide-professional-help-to-amateur-theatre-companies-in-karnataka/articleshow/50636879.cms |access-date=2016-02-14 |work=The Economic Times}}</ref> A TV serial on him was aired in India as ''[[Mulla Nasiruddin]]''.

== In European and Western folk tradition and literature ==
Some Nasreddin tales also appear in collections of [[Aesop's fables]]. ''[[The miller, his son and the donkey]]'' is one example.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey |url=https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type1215.html |website=pitt.edu}}</ref> Others are "The Ass with a Burden of Salt" ([[Perry Index]] 180) and "[[The Satyr and the Traveller]]".

In [[Albanian folk beliefs|Albanian folk tales]] of [[Albania]] and [[Kosovo]] the name appears as "''Nastradini"''. Part of Nasreddin tales also refer to the protagonist as just "''someone''".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Çetta |first=Anton |title=Kërkime folklorike |publisher=Rilindja |year=1981 |pages=80 |language=Sq}}</ref>

In some [[Republic of Bulgaria|Bulgarian]] folk tales that originated during the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] period, the name appears as an [[antagonist]] to a local wise man, named ''[[Sly Peter]]''.

In [[Sicily]] the same tales involve a man named ''[[Giufà]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Migliore |first=Sam |url=https://archive.org/details/maluocchiuambigu0053migl |title=Mal'uocchiu |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=1997 |isbn=9780802079220 |page=[https://archive.org/details/maluocchiuambigu0053migl/page/100 100] |quote=giufa. |url-access=registration}}</ref>

In [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic]]<ref>Ottoman Legends, Ankara Folklore Convention, Austin Legrasse, Book of Abstracts, p.23</ref> culture, spread throughout the Ottoman Empire, a character that appears in many folk tales is named ''[[Djohá]]''.<ref>[https://ladinokomunita.tripod.com/articles/djoha.html Tripod.com], "Djoha – Personaje – Ponte en la Area del Mediterraneo" by [[Matilda Koen-Sarano]]</ref><ref>[https://www.sefarad.org/judeoespagnol/matilda/matilda.php/id/46/ Sefarad.org], European Sephardic Institute</ref>

In [[Republic of Romania|Romanian]], the existing stories come from an 1853 verse compilation edited by [[Anton Pann]], a philologist and poet renowned for authoring the current [[Romanian anthem]].<ref name="test">{{Cite web |title=Năzdrăvăniile lui Nastratin Hogea |url=https://ro.wikisource.org/wiki/N%C4%83zdr%C4%83v%C4%83niile_lui_Nastratin_Hogea |website=wikisource.org}}</ref>

Nasreddin is mostly known as a character from short tales; however, he has also been featured in longer media, such as novels and films. In Russia, Nasreddin is known mostly because of the Russian work ''Возмутитель спокойствия'' by [[Leonid Solovyov (writer)|Leonid Solovyov]] (English translations: "The Beggar in the Harem: Impudent Adventures in Old Bukhara", 1956, and "The Tale of Hodja Nasreddin: Disturber of the Peace", 2009<ref name="translit">{{Cite book |last=Solovyov |first=Leonid |url=https://translit.ca/books.html#disturber |title=The Tale of Hodja Nasreddin: Disturber of the Peace |publisher=Translit Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-9812695-0-4 |location=Toronto, Canada}}</ref>). The composer [[Shostakovich]] celebrated Nasreddin, among other figures, in the second movement (''Yumor'', "Humor") of his Symphony No. 13. The text, by [[Yevgeny Yevtushenko]], portrays humor as a weapon against dictatorship and tyranny. Shostakovich's music shares many of the "foolish yet profound" qualities of Nasreddin's sayings listed above.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}

The Graeco-Armenian mystic [[G. I. Gurdjieff]] often referred to "our own dear Mullah Nasr Eddin", also calling him an "incomparable teacher", particularly in his book ''[[Beelzebub's Tales]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 86 Sayings of Mullah Nassr Eddin |url=https://www.endlesssearch.co.uk/gurdjieff_eddin.htm |website=endlesssearch.co.uk |access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref> Sufi philosopher [[Idries Shah]] published several collections of Nasruddin stories in English, and emphasized their teaching value.

==Film==
In 1943, the Soviet film ''[[Nasreddin in Bukhara]]'' was directed by [[Yakov Protazanov]] based on Solovyov's book, followed in 1947 by a film called ''The Adventures of Nasreddin'', directed by Nabi Ganiyev and also set in the [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic|Uzbekistan SSR]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cinema of Uzbekistan list on mubi.com |url=https://mubi.com/lists/treasures-from-the-deep-cinema-of-uzbekistan |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726033413/https://mubi.com/lists/treasures-from-the-deep-cinema-of-uzbekistan |archive-date=26 July 2011 |access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref><ref>«Большой Словарь: Крылатые фразы отечественного кино», Олма Медиа Групп. 2001г., {{ISBN|978-5-7654-1735-5}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=S4ymeA9V2dYC&q=%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BD&pg=PA401 p. 401.]</ref>

In 1964, [[Richard Williams (animator)|Richard Williams]], a Canadian-British animator, began work on ''Nasrudin'', an animated film based on the character. The film was produced with the help of [[Idries Shah]], for whom Williams had illustrated books about the character; however, tensions between Williams's crew and the Shah family brought  an end to Williams's relationship with them, and ended his right to use Nasreddin as a character. The unfinished film was later reworked into ''[[The Thief and the Cobbler]]'', which had a similarly troubled production history.<ref name="Dobbs">{{Cite news|last=Dobbs|first=Mike|title=An Arabian Knight-mare|periodical=Animato!|issue=35|year=1996|url=http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.animation/msg/e7fd132fc8aa689f}}</ref><ref>Dobbs, Mike (1996), [https://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.animation/msg/e7fd132fc8aa689f "An Arabian Knight-mare"], Animato! (35)</ref><ref>{{cite video|people=Schreck, Kevin (Director)|title=''[[Persistence of Vision (film)|Persistence of Vision]]''|medium=film documentary (and DVD bonus features)|location=USA/UK|year=2012}}</ref>

== Collections ==
{{colbegin}}
* [https://amazon.com/author/mohamedbacha Bacha, Mohamed][https://www.amazon.com/funny-stories-Joha-beloved-folk/dp/1790829143/ 30 Funny Stories of Joha, The Beloved Folk Hero of The East (bilingual English - Arabic)] 
* {{Gutenberg|no=16244|name=The Turkish Jester or, The Pleasantries of Cogia Nasr Eddin Effendi|author=[[George Borrow]], trans.|origyear=1884|language=English}} 
* ''600 Mulla Nasreddin Tales'', collected by Mohammad Ramazani (Popular Persian Text Series: 1) (in [[Persian language|Persian]]).
* ''Tales of the Hodja'', retold by Charles Downing, illustrated by [[William Papas]]. Oxford University Press: London, 1964.
* ''[[The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin]]'', by [[Idries Shah]], illustrated by [[Richard Williams (animator)|Richard Williams]]
* ''The Subtleties of the Inimitable Mulla Nasrudin'', by Idries Shah, illustrated by Richard Williams.
* ''[[The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin]]'', by Idries Shah, illustrated by Richard Williams and [[Errol Le Cain]]
* ''The World of Nasrudin'' by [[Idries Shah]]
* ''Travels with Nasrudin'', ''The Misadventures of the Mystifying Nasrudin'', ''The Peregrinations of the Perplexing Nasrudin'', ''The Voyages and Vicissitudes of Nasrudin'', and ''Nasrudin in the Land of Fools'', five volumes by [[Tahir Shah]], Secretum Mundi, London, 2019-2022
* ''Mullah Nasiruddiner Galpo'' (Tales of Mullah Nasreddin) collected and retold by [[Satyajit Ray]], (in [[Bengali language|Bengali]])
* ''The Wisdom of Mulla Nasruddin'', by [[Shahrukh Husain]]
* ''Watermelons, Walnuts, and the Wisdom of Allah and Other Tales of the Hoca,'' by Barbara K. Walker, Illustrated by Harold Berson {{ISBN|9780896722545}}
* ''The Uncommon Sense of the Immortal Mullah Nasruddin: Stories, jests, and donkey tales of the beloved Persian folk hero'', collected and retold by [[Ron Suresha]].
* {{Cite book |last=Kuang Jinbi |title=The magic ox and other tales of the Effendi. |year=2004 |publisher=Fredonia Books |isbn=978-1-4101-0692-6}}
* ''The Wise Old Man: Turkish Tales of Nasreddin Hodja'', told by Lyon Bajar Juda, illustrated by Tessa Theobald. Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd: Edinburgh, 1963.
* ''Extraordinary Adventures of Mullah Nasruddin: Naughty, unexpurgated tales of the beloved wise fool from the Middle and Far East'', collected and retold by [[Ron Suresha]].
* Melayê Meşhûr (The famous Mulla) by [[Mehmed Emîn Bozarslan]], Uppsala: Deng Publishers, 85 pp., {{ISBN|91-7382-620-0}}, 1986 (in [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]])
* ''Once There Was, Twice There Wasn't: Fifty Turkish Folktales of Nasreddin Hodja'', adapted by Michael Shelton. Boston: Hey Nonny Nonny Press, 2014
* ''Twenty-Four Nasreddins'' (1986), a collective work (in [[Russian Language|Russian]])
{{colend}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==

* {{Cite book |last=Boratav |first=Pertev Naili |title=Nasreddin Hoca |publisher=Islık Yayınları |year=2014 |isbn=9786056469909 |location=Istanbul}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Nasreddin}}
{{wikibooks|Sufism/Nasrudin}}
* [https://vlib.iue.it/carrie/texts/carrie_books/paksoy-6/cae19.html Elements of Humor in Central Asia: The Example of the Journal Molls Nasreddin in Azerbaijan]
* [https://maviboncuk.blogspot.com/2004/06/benjamin-franklin-and-nasreddin-of.html Benjamin Franklin and Nasreddin of Asia Minor]
* [https://vlib.iue.it/carrie/texts/carrie_books/paksoy-8/ Introduction to Keloglan, on Nasreddin]
* [https://u.cs.biu.ac.il/~schiff/Net/front.html Several illustrated Hodja stories]
* [https://www.kaziev.ru/index/o_spektakljakh/0-58 Gold donkey of Nasreddin Hodja. Theatrical performances of the play Sh. Kaziev]
* [https://www.dkagencies.com/MSB/Mulla-Nasruddin_1.aspx Books on Nasruddin from India]
* [https://www.academia.edu/9703509/George_Grigore._2014._The_wise_Fool_Djuha_a_Quick_Sketch_._%C3%AEn_International_Journal_of_English_Language_and_Translation_Studies_IJ-ELTS_Journal_2_4_99-103._Retrieved_from_http_www.eltsjournal.org._ISSN_2308-5460/George Grigore]—The Wise Fool Djuha—A Quick Sketch
* [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348497451_Master%27s_Thesis_Wisdom_Lessons_From_Turkish_Literature_to_Managers_and_Leaders_University_of_Pennsylvania_Philadelphia_2012 ''Wisdom Lessons From Turkish Literature to Managers and Leaders'' (''Türk Edebiyatından Yöneticilere ve Liderlere Bilgelik Dersleri'')]—UPenn master's thesis by Gokmen Durmus on Turkish wisdom and Nasreddin Hodja's stories ([https://archive.today/20131113183037/https://www.academia.edu/2917779/Wisdom_Lessons_From_Turkish_Literature_to_Managers_and_Leaders_Turk_Edebiyatindan_Yoneticilere_ve_Liderlere_Bilgelik_Dersleri/ archive])
*[https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/hodja.html Stories about Nasreddin Hodja] by [[D. L. Ashliman]]
*[https://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/43_folder/43_articles/43_molla.html "Molla Nasreddin: Comic Sage of the Ages", ''Azerbaijan International'', Vol. 4:3 (Autumn 1996), pp. 18-19, 72 (Anecdotes credited to the sage)]

{{Sufi}}
{{Humor and wit characters}}
{{Turkish Literature}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Intangible Heritage Azerbaijan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasreddin}}
[[Category:Nasreddin| ]]
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