The Wise Fool: Fables from the Islamic World

by Shahrukh Husain, Micha Archer (Illustrations)

The riotous adventures and misadventures of Mulla Nasruddin introduce a new generation to one of the most-loved characters in the Muslim world. Nasruddin always has a twinkle in his eye, a sliver of wisdom in his ramblings, and a few good surprises up his sleeve!

The Prince of Steam --
Star talk --
Boys' games --
Nasruddin's haircut --
Lying donkey --
Across the river --
The sweetest poison --
Is it possible --
Predicting the future --
Bread and salt --
Where it belongs --
A fair reward --
Magic money --
Food for growing --
Riding politely --
Inside the coat --
In the highest company --
Edible bedding --
Share and share alike --
One-legged geese --
Teading on God's gift --
Tough accounts

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Islam, Religion, Fiction, Fables, Cultural

64 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2011

About the author

Born 28 April 1950, she is the daughter of Prince Ahmed Husain and Sabeeha (Ahmed) Husain. In 1979 Shahrukh Husain received her Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Shahrukh Husain has lectured extensively and has worked as a consultant on TV documentaries and in an advisory role to members of Parliament on cultural matters ranging from marriage and race to religion and language issues. Husain practises as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist specialising in transcultural work. Currently, she is working on an historical screenplay for Bend It Films and completing a series of mythology books for children. Husain resides in London.

Shahrukh Husain is best known for her works. Her adaptation of "In Custody" was Ismail Merchant's directorial debut and was nominated for Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1995.

Reviews

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve loved tales of Nasruddin Mulla, or the Hodja, ever since I read Alice Kelsey’s Once the Hodja years ago. What I like is that sometimes he’s very wise, and teaches by example, and sometimes he’s rather silly. Either way he’s a loveable character. Many of these tales were familiar to me from other books, but they were fun to read again nevertheless. The illustrations in this book were colorful and whimsical, adding a touch of extra humor to the already humorous tales. Kids should love this book, but I think adults would like it too. After all, who doesn’t like a clever story?

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was another serendipitous experience--saw it at the library when picking up another book. I was attracted to it because I enjoy fables, including those that come from other cultures. Loved this book! Not only did I enjoy the stories but the illustrations were BEAUTIFUL! This is a book I might need to buy.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, a beautiful brightly illustrated collection of thoughtful stories from the Islamic world for children. This book tells stories about Mulla Nasruddin, a spiritual teacher who travels and faces difficulties head on, using his clever mind.

“’What’s the matter, Mulla?’ he asked. ‘All is well, I hope?’
‘Why shouldn’t all be well?’ snapped the Mulla, hurrying down the road. He knew very well that his nosy neighbor was not interested in his welfare, but wanted a bit of gossip.”

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

*The Price of Steam: a poor man moistins his dry bread over a cook's boiling pot of chicken. The cook demands the poor man to pay him for that. The judge, Mulla Nasruddin, asks the cook how much he believes his steam is worth which he replies "two coins." Then Mulla raddles two coins in his hands. The cook says "You are a just man." in which Mulla replies, "I'm glad you think so, bc the sound of these coins is payment for the steam from your food. That's a fair exchange."

Star Talk: I was born during the sign of the Lamb (which grew up to be the ram).

Boys' Games: "My turban remembered what it is like to be young and decided to stay and join in." a sassy response for why he didn't have on his turban.

Nasruddin's Haircut: the barber kept nicking Mulla and patching him up with cotton. Mulla gets up to leave and says "You've sowed half my head with cotton. I'll sow the rest with a crop of my choice!"

Lying Donkey: When his noisy neighbor asks to borrow his donkey which Mulla knows the neighbor will not treat well so he lies that his donkey is not home. When the neighbor hears the donkey's braying and accuses Mulla of lying. Mulla replies, "You believe the braying of a donkey above my work. Go away. I'm not lending you anything."

Across the River: a man on the other side of the river from Mulla asks if their is a ferry boat he can use to get to the other side of the river. Mulla replies "I don't know why you need a ferry boat. You're already on the other side of the river."

The Sweetest Poison: Mulla has to run off before eating his favor dessert, baklawa. He knows that the children will eat it while he is gone so he tells them that it is poisoned. When Mulla comes back, he finds his nephew on the floor. His nephew says he smashed Mulla's inkpot and then ate the baklawa as punishment. But Mulla knows the boy ate the baklawa (knowing his uncle had lied) and then broke the inkpot as cover up.

*Is it possible: Mulla must know something that the scholars don't. When the first scholar asks, "How many stars are there in the sky?" Mulla replies "As many as the hairs on my donkey." When the first scholar asks, "How can you be so sure?" Mulla says, "count them and you'll see." The first scholar steps back. When the second scholar asks, "How many hairs are there in m beard?" Mulla replies, "exactly the same number as there are in my donkey's tail." He asks, "How can you prove that/" Mulla says, "personally, I need no proof. But if you do, you are very welcome to fetch my donkey and count them yourself." The third scholar asked, "But is it possible to count the hairs ina donkey's tail?" Mulla replied, "Is it possible to count the stars in the sky?"

Predicting the Future: A friend warns Mulla that he is on a branch that he is cutting down and will fall. Mulla doesn't believe him. He falls when he cuts down the branch and rushes over to his friend saying "I've lived next door to you all this time, and you've never told me you can predict the future!"

Bread and Salt: This is a phrase common said to mean that they want food. When one host hears it, he gives exactly bread and salt. When a beggar comes by asking for bread and salt, Mulla tells him to not waste his time bc that's exactly what he will get.

where it belongs: Mulla puts the moon back into the sky after it fell into a well (its reflection)

*A Fair Reward: When Mulla gots to a spa, he is poorly treated, but pays them well. The workers think that Mulla will pay them more if they treat him better. When Mulla comes back, they treat him like a king, but he pays them very little. They ask Mulla why so little. Mulla says, "This is for last week. The gold was for today."

Magic money: A merchant tries to cheat people into buying a "magic sword" that becomes two feet longer in battle. Mulla tells the merchant that he should sell a kitchen tong, bc "when my wife hurls these tongs in domestic battle, they fly through the air to a distance of ten feet-that means that in action, they go twice the length of the sword."

*Food for Growing: A host and a visitor agree that the visitor can pay his rent on his return home. When the visit returns, the host demands his payment plus interest since the chicken he ate could have layed more eggs. Mulla asks "how can a cooked chicken lay eggs?" The visit pays the host, but not the interest.

Riding Politely: Mulla doesn't like teaching adults. He thinks they should already know his wisdom and teach it to each other. Mulla prefers teaching youth. On his journey to teach some adults, he rides backwards out of respect for the youth who follow him into town.

Inside the Coat: His noisy neighbor asks him what the noise coming from his house was. Mulla says that his coat was thrown down the stairs. The neighbor replies, "But a coat couldn't have made that much noise." which Mulla resplies, "I was in the coat."

In the Highest Company: The emperor summons Mulla in the middle of the night to ask him if the emperor will go to heave. Mulla replies, "I am sure you will have a seat of honor in the highest company, among the most powerful and brutal leaders of all time Chengez Khan, Hulegu, Pharaoh and Nimrod. Now, shall we all go to sleep?"

Edible Bedding: Mulla was hungry when it was bedtime, but he didn't want to sound ungrateful so he asked his host to give him a more humble bedding "a griddlecake for a pillow and a flatbread for a cover" so he could sleep.

*Share and Share Alike: Two men were sharing a bowl of yogurt. After they agreed, one man was going to add sugar to his half. The Mulla asked why he wouldn't add it to the whole bowl. He tried to reason that the sugar would seep into his yogurt. The man was not conviced so Mulla pulled out some oil to add to his yogurt. the man was upset, bc the oil would ruin the yogurt and get into his half. Mulla said he would add the oil if the other man didn't share his sugar.

One-Legged Geese
Treading on God's Gift
Tough Accounts

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of short tales about Mulla Nasruddin, also called Khoja. His stories are found all over the Islamic world, including the Middle East, Turkey, Iran, and many other places. He was believed to be a traveling Sufi from Turkey. The author, in the introduction to the book, describes him as "the social and spiritual conscience of his community...and as the wise fool." For more information on him, check out this website: http://www.rodneyohebsion.com/mulla-n...

I had heard about him through one of the other collections of stories that I had gotten to read to my son, so when I found this volume in the library. The illustrations are amazing, part of what makes the book so good, as they are in bright happy colors and done in cut paper and original stamped designs. My favorite stories were "The Price of Steam," "The Sweetest Poison," "A Fair Reward," and "Inside the Coat." Highly recommended for ages 5+, 5 stars.

[Esther Moss]

Multicultural literature: these stories come from Islamic tradition and the setting of them all is the Middle East. This collection of stories from the middle east follows the adventures of Mulla Nasrudin, a traditional character from Islamic folktales. Although he appears in each tale, his characteristic shift so that he is sometimes funny, sometimes, moralistic, sometimes a trickster. Each story teaches a lesson or moral.

Traits: Organization. The classic fable method where a lesson is learned by following the antics of a familiar character (similar to the Brer Rabbit stories I enjoyed as a child) is easy to pick out in each of the book's many stories.
Presentation - the illustrations in the book are colorful and beautiful.

Integration: I would use this book as a mentor text to get my students ready to write stories that have a lesson or moral. I would also use it to model character development by noticing the ways the author describes Mulla, the book's main character.

[Anna]

1. SUMMARY – Mulla Nasruddin is a wise man who often disguises himself with foolish behavior. Although his presence is found as the main character in each tale, his situation is different. In one story he is a judge. In another, he matches wits with a group of young people.
2. GENRE – This is an example of a picture book, traditional fiction and multicultural fiction. Each tale enlightens us with a lesson originating in the Middle East.
3. LITERARY CONCEPTS – character trait, plot, dialogue
4. TRAITS – Ideas, Word Choice, Conventions
5. Interest level – K+

[Katherine Cowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mulla Nasruddin invents a flock of one-legged geese to justify accidentally eating part of his offering to the emperor, he keeps an entire year of financial records on pastries, and he believes that rain should, and absolutely should not, be run through. This is a beautifully told and wonderfully illustrated collection of fables about a legendary Islamic character, Mulla Nasruddin.

Mulla is a bit of an everyman--he's not wealthy and not poor, and sometimes fortune goes his way and at other times it doesn't. What most attracts me to the character is that he's a bit of a trickster, and his wisdom always has an unusual or unexpected edge to it. These fables are not the grand affairs of legends and quest, but rather a taste of everyday living. Their effectiveness as fables comes from both the humor and their grounding in reality, which invites imagining and allows one to look past one's own culture and time. Some reviewers have said that only older children would appreciate the stories, but my 4 and 6 year old love them, think they are hilarious, and ask me to read their favorites again and again.

And, without more ado, a very concise retelling of one of the included fables.

Mulla Nasruddin had a neighbor who liked to borrow things from everyone. The trouble was, his neighbor always broke them or did other things to make people highly regret their lending. When Mulla saw his neighbor coming, it started chopping loudly with an axe; after all, if he could not hear the request, he could not lend whatever item was needed. But then his neighbor yelled, loudly asking to borrow Mulla's donkey. In shock, and forgetting that he "couldn't hear," Mulla declared, "My donkey?" But then, how to say no to a man who might never return it, or would bring it back with two legs broken? Mulla pretended that he had already lent the donkey to another man. "When will it be back?" the neighbor asked. "I really am not sure..." And then the donkey started braying. "You've been lying to me!" said the neighbor. "Your donkey has been here all along."

And now, to quote the last few lines of the text:

"You believe the braying of a donkey above my word?" [Mulla] demanded angrily. "Go away! I'm not going to lend you anything."

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of 22 tales about Mulla Nasruddin (also called Khoja), a legendary man who is widely known in the Islamic world for his quick wit and wisdom. It offers great insight into the Islamic culture and presents some different ways of solving problems. Nasruddin offers his wisdom to others as a judge, an advisor to the emperor, and to his friends -- sometimes he is wealthy, in others he is poor.

Husain introduces readers to Nasruddin, a traveling Sufi born some time from the 1300s-1500s in the Middle East. His stories are all well-told in this collection, ranging from 1 - 3 pages long. Nasruddin is quick to use his smarts to get himself out of predicaments, often in a way that will elicit a chuckle or occasional laugh out loud. She includes a glossary of unfamiliar terms, a pronunciation guide, and a bibliography of sources used.

Illustrator Micha Archer has done a phenomenal job of presenting the colors and sights of the Middle East in her colorful collage artwork. Inspired by patterns and architecture in many places Nasruddin visited during his life, readers may begin to feel like they have traveled to some of these exotic sites. She makes liberal use of borders, patterns and colors found in fabrics and carpeting from this region.

A feast for the eyes and ears!

Highly recommended for grades 1-8.

[KitaabWorld.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to Mulla Nasruddin, a legendary character whose adventures and misadventures are enjoyed across the Islamic World. Eccentric, engaging and irreverent, Nasruddin always has a twinkle in his eye, a sliver of wisdom in his ramblings and a few good surprises up his sleeve.

See other books in our Folktales from Islamic Traditions booklist here: https://kitaabworld.com/blogs/news/fo...

[Rachel (Sfogs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the stories and the beautiful artwork!

[Jbondandrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely fables and wonderful illustrations.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed and smiled all the way through these stories. Mulla Nasruddin is a delightful character.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book to add to our class fable collection - we are nearing the end of a fable unit and I was looking for variety. I need to explore the world of Mulla Nasruddin more. These do not end with a direct, obvious lesson. I would like to learn more now that I've sample a few. I wonder what kids in 3E will think. I wonder what questions they might have.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of short stories that have touches of wisdom, humor and whimsy. Some of the stories were more successful with our girls than others, but on the whole, we really liked them. Several of the stories were somewhat familiar to us and we knew what to expect, even if the tale was slightly different from what we'd read before. My favorite story was A Fair Reward, our oldest said that her favorite was The Price of Steam and our youngest just said that she liked them all.

I really liked the introduction that explains the origin and background of the stories. And we loved the illustrations. They are brightly colored, with deep jeweled shades and multiple patterns and textures. Overall it's an entertaining book of tales and can be read all at once or spread out over several days. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Yahya Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mulla Nasruddin, a legendary character whose adventures and misadventures are enjoyed across the Islamic world. This collection of stories portrays his eccentric, engaging and irreverent character and his senses of humor. One day, Nasruddin head needs to be shaved and he goes to the barber shop. When the barber has nicked his skin, he says sorry and sticks cotton to the cut. When he cuts his head fourth time, hodja leaps out of his chair and rushes to the door. “Khoja, wait!” called the barber. “I haven’t finished the job!” Then hodja says; “You’ve sowed half my head with cotton wool, I will sow the rest with a crop of my choice!”

[Sean Dugan-Strout · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories as told by the character, Mulla Nasruddin. This is a fun and eccentric collection of his adventures. I would recommend this book to older elementary school-aged children, mostly because of the word pronunciations. Luckily, there is a glossary in the back that helps the reader understand some of the unknown words. A quirky introduction to Islamic culture.

[Dearborn Public Library Youth Services · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some selections out of this book work better than others. Make sure you pre-read the stories and tell, more than read them. Best for older children, 3rd grade and above. There is a pronounciation guide in the back.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traditional Literature 2011
I loved the beautiful, brightly colored illustrations in this book of fables centered around the Islamic mullah. The stories are interesting and teach helpful lessons about human nature. There are also a glossary and a pronunciation guide in the back of the book.

[Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colorful and funny. The wise fool is great, very likable character.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very amusing fables - so glad to learn about Mulla Nasruddin.

[Neil Bhandar]

interesting stories