PESHAWAR: Dr Khalil Tuqar, a scholar based in Turkey, has recently rendered 129 popular jokes of Mullah Nasiruddin from Turkish language into Urdu and has published them in a book form.

The book contains a brief profile of the celebrated Mullah Nasiruddin and his famous jokes along with beautiful illustrations. Being a household name for children in the subcontinent, including Pakistan, Nasiruddin’s jokes arouse laughter and generate wit among readers. Children under stress must turn to read Nasiruddin’s jokes to bring smiles on their faces. But laughter is not the only end. Mullah also wants to make us think deeply to reform ourselves.

Born in 1208 in Hortu village near Anatolia city of Turkey during the reign of King Seljuk, he settled permanently in 1237 in the Turkish city of Aaq. He died in 1284 in the same city. He got his early education from his own father Abdullah Afandi.

He mastered Arabic and Persian languages besides Turkish language and also learnt Islamic teachings, including Islamic jurisprudence from great scholars Syed Mahmood Herani and Syed Haji Ibrahim.

Publisher says this collection is a gift for both children and adults

He had learnt the holy Quran by heart at a tender age. After the death of his father he became prayer leader of his village mosque. Later, he served as teacher at a university and also as judge at a local court.

Mullah Nasiruddin was born with deep sense of humour and satire.

He tried to resolve every difficult issue by treating it in a light vein and conveyed its solution to people in a way drenched in wit and humour. Lies and fear were two words that never found place in his dictionary.

He remained quite successful in resolving difficult issues due to his sharp witticism. His satirical remarks would never provoke anger rather it would invoke laughter at one’s own follies.

Mullah Nasiruddin’s character brings smiles on children’s faces while adult learn lessons from his jokes. Many people think he was just a joker, but in fact he was a great Sufi scholar who wanted to resolve issues being faced by people in a playful manner. He, therefore, travelled to different towns and cities to have a firsthand experience of various cultures and peoples.

Many of his jokes have become proverbial in Turkey and are used in daily life on several occasions while his anecdotes are quoted widely in various cultures. One of his famous jokes relates that Mullah Nasiruddin began to shout as he had missed his donkey and protested that if his donkey was not provided immediately then he knew what he would do. Within two hours, people recovered his donkey and asked him what he had planned to do if it was not found. “Nothing. I would just go to the market and buy another one,” was his quick response.

On another occasion, King Taimur Lang called some elites and public representatives of the Aaq city to his office and asked them to tell him whether he was a tyrant or a just king. Some called him a brutal king while others termed him a fair ruler. Taimur punished one group on hatred charges and another for being flatterers. Nasiruddin at his turn wisely responded, “Your Majesty! It is we who are tyrants; otherwise God would never impose you on us to rule.”

A friend of Nasiruddin requested him once to distribute his wedding invitation cards to people in the village. Following his friend’s request, and after distributing the cards to all and sundry in the village he walked up to an arrogant person who in a scolding manner asked him, “Did your friend not find a noble person to distribute his invitation cards.”

Mullah promptly answered, “Yes, he did but they all have been sent to distribute wedding cards to noble people in the village.”

Masood Sabir, head of Urdu Ghar Publications, Bahawalpur, and the publisher of the book says that this collection is a gift for both children and adults. Mullah’s jokes, he says, should be understood as ‘anecdotes’ because every joke carries some moral lesson. Spread over 131 pages, the book titled ‘Mullah Nasiruddin’ is a fresh account of a Sufi scholar’s life and creative work.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2014