The Little Book of Sufi Parables: Short Stories on Wit and Wisdom

Mulla Nasruddin and two other saints went for a pilgrimage to Mecca. They were passing through a village, it was the last phase of their journey. Their money was almost finished; just a little bit was left. They purchased a certain sweet called halva, but it was not enough for all the three and they were too hungry. What to do? — and they were not even ready to divide it because then it will not fulfill anybody’s hunger. So everybody started bragging about himself that, “I am more important to existence, so my life has to be saved.”

The first saint said, “I have been fasting, I have been praying for so many years; nobody here present is more religious and holy than I am. And God wants me to be saved, so the halva has to be given to me.”

The second saint said, “Yes, I know, you are a man of great austerities, but I am a great scholar. I have studied all the scriptures, my whole life I have devoted in the service of knowledge. And the world does not need people who can fast. What can you do? — you can only fast. You can fast in heaven! The world needs knowledge. The world is so ignorant that it cannot afford to miss me. The halva has to be given to me.”

Mulla Nasruddin said, “I am not an ascetic, so I cannot claim any self-control. I am not a great knowledgeable person either, so that too I cannot claim. I am an ordinary sinner, and I have heard that God is always compassionate to the sinners. The halva belongs to me.”

They could not come to any conclusion. Finally they decided that, “We all three should sleep without eating the halva, and let God decide himself. So whosoever is given the best dream by God, in the morning that dream will be decisive.”

In the morning the saint said, “Nobody can compete with me anymore. Give me the halva — because in the dream I kissed God’s feet. That is the ultimate that one can hope — what greater experience can there be?”

The pundit, the scholar, the knowledgeable person laughed and he said, “That is nothing — because God hugged me and kissed me! You kissed his feet? He kissed ME and hugged me! Where is the halva? It belongs to me.”

They looked at Nasruddin and asked, “What dream did you have?”

Nasruddin said, “I am a poor sinner, my dream was very ordinary — very ordinary, not worth even telling. But because you insist and because we have agreed, I will tell you. In my sleep God appeared and he said, ‘You fool! What are you doing? Eat the halva!’ So I have eaten it — because how can I deny his order? There is no halva left now!”

The Little Book of Sufi Parables: Short Stories on Wisdom and Spirituality

• Sufi Masters have been using short stories to teach people important life lessons. In just a few paragraphs, the Sufis are able to convey messages that others can hardly do in hundreds of pages. This great compilation of stories offer insights into their wisdom and inspirations.
• Perfect for anyone who appreciates good storytelling, and philosophical & spiritual questioning.