''The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin'' is a book by the writer

Idries Shah Idries Shah (; hi, इदरीस शाह, ps, ادريس شاه, ur, ; 16 June 1924 – 23 November 1996), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el- Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي) and by the pen name Arko ...

, Article has moved and is now incorrectly dated 18 September 2011. It consists of jokes and anecdotes involving the wise fool of Middle Eastern folklore, Mulla Nasrudin. Published by

Octagon Press Octagon Press was a cross-cultural publishing house based in London, UK. It was founded in 1960 by Sufism, Sufi teacher, Idries Shah to establish the historical and cultural context for his ideas. The company ceased trading in 2014. Description ...

in 1966, the book was re-released in paperback,

ebook An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

and audiobook editions by

The Idries Shah Foundation The Idries Shah Foundation (ISF) is an independent educational and Culture, cultural Charitable organization, charity, set up by the family of the late thinker, writer, and teacher in the Sufism, Sufi mysticism, mystical tradition, Idries Shah, w ...

in 2014 and 2015. Shortly before he died, Shah stated that his books form a complete course that could fulfil the function he had fulfilled while alive. As such, ''The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin'' can be read as part of a whole course of study.

Content

Part of a series of books, ''The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin'' is a collection of anecdotes and jokes drawn from Middle Eastern folklore and the

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

mystical tradition, which feature the populist

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

ern philosopher and wise fool, Mulla

Nasrudin Nasreddin () or Nasreddin Hodja (other variants include: Mullah Nasreddin Hooja, Nasruddin Hodja, Mullah Nasruddin, Mullah Nasriddin, Khoja Nasriddin) (1208-1285) is a character in the folklore of the Muslim world from Arabia to Central Asia ...

. Thousands of stories have been written around this popular folk character over the centuries, since his purported birth in the 13th century in what is now modern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Use of the materials

Masters in the

mystical tradition have used these anecdotes and jokes as teaching stories, as part of their pupils' training in wisdom. The animator, Richard Williams illustrated the original series of Nasrudin books, and also created a film animation featuring the character, titled ''The Thief and the Cobbler'', which was produced by Idries Shah's brother,

Omar Ali-Shah Omar Ali-Shah ( hi, ओमर अली शाह, ur, عمر علی شاہ, nq; 19227 September 2005) was a prominent exponent of modern Naqshbandi Sufism. He wrote a number of books on the subject, and was head of a large number of Sufi groups ...

. Unfortunately, this film was taken away from Williams before he had a chance to complete it. In an article in the ''Los Angeles Review of Books'', writer John Zada uses the Sufi materials, including some of the Nasrudin tales, to explain developments in the contemporary world, such as the rise of Islamist fundamentalism under

ISIS Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

and the rise of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. Zada is of the opinion that we need the Sufis' moderate and flexible thinking to counter polemics and fanaticism in all its forms.

Collections of Mulla Nasrudin stories

* ''The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin'' (1966, 2015) * ''The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin'' (1968, 2015) * ''The Subtleties of the Inimitable Mulla Nasrudin'' (1973) Note: ISBNs refer to the original paperback editions, published by Octagon Press. For current ISBNs, see

References

External links

The Idries Shah Foundation official web site

ISF Publishing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin, The Sufi literature Sufi fiction Books by Idries Shah Middle Eastern folklore Comedy books 1966 books Nasreddin