Techno Mullah

ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES

2022-09-08T12:21:00.002-07:00

Once upon a time, there lived two brothers named Kassim and Ali Baba

Kassim was married to a rich lady and lived in plenty. After his marriage, he became the owner of a large shop filled with rare goods and costly wares, and of a store house stocked with precious stuffs. He lived in a big house which was no less than a palace.

Ali Baba was a poor wood cutter who earned just enough to make both ends meet. The wife of Ali Baba was poor and needy. So he had to maintain his family by cutting wood in a neighbouring forest and selling it in the town

One day Ali Baba went to the forest to get some wood It was a hot day and the sun was shining brightly. Entering the forest, he began his work immediately.

As he was cutting wood from a big tree, he heard a sound at some distance. When he listened carefully, he understood that it was the footsteps of horses.

It sounded as if they were approaching very fast.

Since the place was known for dacoits, Ali Baba thought that they might be robbers. When he turned around to have a look, he saw a troop of men on horseback, coming towards him in a cloud of dust

Nothing was visible because of the dust. He was sure that they were robbers. As they came nearer, his heart was in his mouth. Now he could see them more clearly and he made it sure that they were robbers.

Although there was nothing that the robbers could take away from him, his condition was no less than a wet cat. He didn't know what to do. He looked here and there to find a place to hide, and finally when he could not think of anything else, he climbed up a tree for safety.

He sat upon a branch from where he could watch everything beneath him. But none below could catch a glimpse of him above, and that tree grew close beside a rock, which towered high above head.

He sat there with a heart pumping so loudly that the birds on that tree could hear that Within no time, the robbers came up to him and dismounted from the horses.

The horse-men were young, active and doughty riders They had a horrifying look. All of them had a scar on their face. Ali Baba who was sitting on the tree could get a good view of them. He counted forty of them.

They unbridled their horses and tied them to the trees. Then all took off their saddle bags, which proved to be full of gold and silver.

The finest man among them was a tall well-built figure, whom Ali Baba took to be their captain. He went a little way away among some bushes, and said, "Open Sesame "

When the captain uttered these words, a door opened in the rock. Ali Baba was amazed to see this. The robbers made their way in cheering and shouting. The leader followed them, and the door shut again itself. Ali Baba who was sitting on the tree saw all these.

He had never, ever in his life heard or seen such a thing. He was so scared that he did not even dare to get down because he feared that the robbers might come out of the cave any time, and seeing him there they would kill him.

He kept his eyes stuck on the cave door and never did he dare to look anywhere else. Hours passed by. But the soldiers did not appear at the door.

At last the door opened again and the forty thieves came out holding empty bags.

The captain stood at the entrance and counted the men as they came out. Then he closed the door, saying, "Shut Sesame."

The door closed as soon as he said this.

After every soldiers was out of the cave, each of them bridled their horse and mounted. They were heavily dressed and held dangerous weapons. This sight took Ali Baba aback for he had never seen such dangerous weapons.

Ali Baba saw them coming out and he was now all the more scared. Soon they went in the direction from where they had come. They mounted their horses and rode away.

Ali Baba remained still perched on the tree and watched their departure, until they were completely out of sight.

Ali Baba was now relieved to watch them go and he heaved a sigh of relief. He gathered strength and got down from the tree.

He looked all around and in the direction where the soldiers had gone to ensure that they were completely out of sight.

Ali Baba then made way to the cave, which was covered with bushes. When he came there, he said tentatively "Open Sesame."

He had just said it when the door flew open. Initially he was taken aback. The door opened very violently and made so much of noise that at one point of time. Ali Baba thought about going back home. But he gathered strength to enter. His feet were trembling and hands were shivering.

He expected a dull, dismal place inside the cave, but to his surprise, it was large and well-lighted, hollowed by the hand of man in the form of a vault, which received the light from an opening in the ceiling

He saw rich bales of merchandise - silk, stuff brocades, all piled together, and gold and silver in heaps, and money in leather purses.

There was light that came through air holes and bull's eyes in the upper surface of the rock, which formed a roof. He was surprised to see the whole room filled with bales of all kinds of articles.

The amount of gold outshone the quantity of gold that would be placed in the vault of the world's richest king

This view brought a smile on his face. He went in and the door shut behind him in the cave there was a lot of gold and diamonds and other precious stones

He brought out as many bags of gold as he thought his ass could carry He packed bags with gold and diamonds He loaded them in his sacks and hid it all with faggots His sacks were so heavy that he could not pick up them easily. The fear of the robbers made him pick up the luggage as quickly as possible.

Finally he loaded the sacks on the back of his ass and covered the sacks with fire-wood.

He closed the door of the cave with the funny words 'Shut Sesame" and went home. Within no time he was at home. Then he drove his ass into the yard. Then he shut the gate and carried the sacks to his wife.

She couldn't believe her eyes. She thought that he had robbed some highway man or a visitor to the city.

"How did you get this much gold," his wife asked

Then he told her the whole story. His wife listened carefully with eyes wide open. He told her about the scenes in the cave.

Ali Baba asked her to keep it secret, and he would go and bury the gold in their garden. "Let me first measure it," said his wife, "then we can calculate the worth and see how we spend it"

For measuring something, one needed a balance Ali Baba was so poor that he never had a balance

"I will go and borrow a balance from your brother," said Ali Baba's wife. So she ran to Kassim's house and asked his wife to lend her a measure

Kassim's wife knew Ali Baba's poverty So she was surprised to hear that, and she was curious to find out what sort of grain she wished to measure For that she artfully put some suet at the bottom of the measure Without knowing that, Ali Baba's wife went home and set the measure on the heap of gold. It weighed a lot more than she had expected it to be.

After she had done all the weighing, she carried the measure back to Kassim's wife, without noticing that a piece of gold was sticking to it. Kassim's wife saw the piece of gold and she was surprised.

She was jealous also. She waited for her husband to come. She wanted to tell her husband about the piece of gold.

All the day she was restless.

At last, evening arrived and Kassim came back She rushed towards the door and announced the secret.

"Your brother is richer than you. He does not count his money, he measures it," she said to her husband. Kassim was amazed to hear it. When he asked her to explain this riddle, she told him about Ali Baba's luck Kassim grew so jealous. So he could not sleep that night. He thought his brother had robbed it, otherwise he would not have got that much gold. So he thought he could blackmail his brother and share a portion of his wealth

His wife too had a sleepless night. As the sun rose the next day, Kassim said to his wife "My dear, I am going to Ali Baba's house and solve the mystery"

After taking the breakfast, Kassim rushed his way to his brother's house. He went there in a hurry and stormed into his house. Ali Baba was surprised to see his brother.

"Dear brother, you seem to be very tired andworried. Tell me what the reason is " "Ali Baba, if you are so considerate of me, you would never hide anything from me," he said. "What is the matter, Kassim? What shall I do? May I know what is there in your mind!" Kassim then showed him the gold piece and said,

"You pretend to be poor, but you measure gold. This is the gold piece which stuck at the base of the measure. I think your wife forgot to pull it out."Ali Baba was shocked to hear that. But he soon understood that because of his wife's stupidity, Kassim and his wife were able to know the secret. "My dear brother, I have no intention to hide anything from you. You are my own flesh and blood and I have always looked up to you as my mentor Wait, I will tell you everything in detail."

"Tell me now itself," cried Kassim curiously Ali Baba told Kassim all about the previous day's happenings. He added, "Brother, I could not control my greed and I brought whatever quantity I could carry" This confession made Kassim very happy. A counterfeited glee appeared on his face.

"Okay, all right, so you have discovered the treasure. It is the duty of a brother to take care of his brother. You must tell me the secret of this gold. If you don't tell me, I will inform the king and he will imprison you for stealing the gold from somewhere."

Kassim threatened Ali Baba. Ali Baba was a noble and simple man. When he heard about the prison, he was very much scared He pleaded, "Brother, do not report to the king You may take the share out of my wealth For God's sake, do not tell this to anybody

Ali Baba offered Kassim a big share. Kassim was not satisfied with this and he wanted to know the magic word and he insisted to go to the cave

At last, Ali Baba told him where the cave was and he told him the magic words Kassim was very happy to hear the words and wanted to go to the cave as early as possible. Thanking his brother, Kassim left the place.

On the way, Kassim was planning to appropriate the treasure for himself. He returned to his house and told his wife about the treasure

They planned to go to the cave the next day. They could not sleep that night also. They could dream of nothing else but gold. Next morning, Kassim rose early and cried to his wife, "My dear, prepare a hefty meal for me and load the mules with chests so that I can take as much of gold as I can." She soon obeyed her husband and for the first time did it willingly.

Soon Kassim was ready to go and set out with two mules loaded with bags and sacks. His wife bid him good luck Kassim led his mules towards the forest. He was lost in his dreams throughout the way. After a tiresome journey he reached the cave.

He looked for the door of the cave and located door in the rock. He remembered the magic words which Ali Baba had taught him "Open Sesame," he said loudly as he could, fearing that the door would not obey.

The door opened. He was very happy and excited. He stood there for a while awestruck by this strange sight. He hurried towards the cave and entered into it. He started collecting the treasures and soon his bags and sacks were filled with gold, diamonds and other precious stones.

He stayed in the cave for hours and at last he decided to go back. He went towards the door of the cave overjoyed with the discovery of the treasures. When he was ready to go, he forgot what to say for the door to open. He had forgotten the magic code.

Instead of 'Sesame,' he said, 'Open Barley' and the door did not open. He used the names of different grains, but the door remained closed.

He stood there frightened and trying all the words that appeared in his mind but all in vain. "For God's sake, please open," at last he cried at the door. Then he rushed to the door and tried to open it forcibly. He pushed hard and punched and kicked it.

Kassim sweated and toiled hard to break the door

But it didn't open. So he wandered around in the cave for hours to find another outlet. But his efforts were futile.

Finally, he sat there and started to weep loudly. Now all he could do was to wait for the robbers to return. He stayed there for hours waiting for someone to come and open the door. As he was so scared he could not even touch the food that was in the cave, even though he was dying of hunger.

At last the robbers arrived on their horses. They saw some mules outside the cave and knew that somebody has found their hide-out. Soon, they began to search in the bushes, holding their swords to kill the trespassers at once when found out.

Kassim was able to hear the faint Foot steps outside the cave. Now his heart was in his mouth. He heard the magic words said by the leader.

He was shocked to hear those words. The door of the cave was open and the robber troop marched into the cave. Those men carried large bags, which they had looted from the neighbouring village.

When they were in, Kassim rushed to the door and tried to escape. The robbers saw him and they went towards him.

Kassim knew that his end was near. So he begged for his life, but it had all fallen on deaf ears. The captain said to Kassim, "You entered into our cave for which you will get an apt punishment. That is no less than a death sentence."

The robbers with their swords immediately killed him. They butchered his body with swords. They cut him into four quarters, and hanged them up in front of the cave, in order to frighten all who would venture to come there.After that they again went out for looting.

Meanwhile, at his house, Kassim's wife grew very uneasy as it was very dark by then. She had been waiting for the whole day for her husband to return.

Hours passed by and now many bad things came into her mind.

Eventually, the night arrived, but there was no sign of Kassim

She was so scared that she ran to her brother-in law On reaching, she told Ali Baba where her husband had gone and burst out crying.

"I pray you, please go and save his soul. I have a feeling that he is in grave danger. It's dark and he hasn't returned yet. I am worried. You are the only one who knows the way to the cave and you are his one and only brother." She said, crying loudly Ali Baba and his wife did their best to comfort her "Don't worry, nothing will happen. You don't need to lose heart. Your brother-in-law is here to do what is necessary," Ali Baba comforted her. Ali Baba decided to go to the cave in search of his brother No matter how much his brother hated him, Ali Baba had always loved his brother. So he went to the forest with three asses

Ali Baba knew that something dreadful had happened to his brother. So he was very much worried

The robber did not know what to do. He was totally confused

They returned to the cave and the robber was beheaded at once for having failed.

Another robber took the job. He also went to the cobbler Mustafa and he showed him Ali Baba's house. He marked that house with red chalk, but Morgiyana was very clever and she saw the red mark and did the same as before.

The second robber too was sentenced to death.

The leader decided to go himself next time. He was cleverer than others. So he did not mark the house, but he looked at it very closely and marked in his mind He went to Ali Baba's house disguised as an oil merchant

He brought 38 leather jars. Then he put his men fully armed in each jar and he rubbed the outside of the jars with oil. He filled oil in the thirty eighth jar. He loaded the jars on the back of the mules and reached the town by dusk.

The leader stopped his mules in front of Ali Baba's house, and said to Ali Baba, who was sitting outside. "I have brought some oil from a distance to sell in the market. But now it is very late and I don't know where to stay tonight, as I am here for the first time. What shall I do?"

Ali Baba had seen the leader of the robbers before But the leader was in disguise and hence Ali Baba could not recognize him. So he welcomed him. He opened the gate for the mules to enter He called Morgiyana and asked her to prepare a bed and supper for his guest

He brought the stranger into his hall and they had their food. When Ali Baba went inside to speak to Morgiyana, the leader went to the yard pretending to see his mules. There he told his men what to do.

He went to each jar and said, "As soon as I throw some stones from the window of the chamber where ! lie, cut the jars open with your knives and come out. I will be with you in a moment." After saying this to his fellow men, he went to his chamber, led by Morgiyana

Then Morgiyana went to the kitchen to cook something for her master. While she was cooking, she found that she had no more oil in the house. As it was very late, she couldn't go out and buy some oil and all the shops were closed.

"Don't worry," said Abdullah, her fellow slave, go to the yard and take some oil from those jars.

Morgiyana thanked him for his advice, took the oil pot and went to the yard. When she came to the first jar, the robber inside it whispered. "Is it time?" As soon as she opened the jar, she saw an armoured man inside it.

Any other slave would have screamed and made noise on finding a man in the jar, instead of oil. But Morgiyana did not do that. She understood the dangerous situation of her master

So she thought of a plan and without wasting time she answered quietly, "Not yet, I will let you know" She went to all the jars and gave the same answer to each one. Then in the last jar she found oil only.

She filled her oil pot and went back to the kitchen. Then she boiled the oil and poured it into every jar to stifle and kill the robber inside

After that brave deed, she went back to the kitchen, put out the fire and the lamp and waited to see what would happen. In a quarter of an hour, the leader awoke, got up and opened the window

As all seemed quiet, he threw some stones at the jars.

Nothing happened. None of his men came out. He became very uneasy and went down to the yard. He went to the first jar and said, "Are you asleep?"

No answer. Then he opened the jar. The smell of the hot oil and burnt flesh came out of the jar He opened the other jars and he found all the gang was dead.

He was scared to know that his plot had failed. He then fled for his life without making noise. Morgiyana heard and saw all this and went to bed and fell asleep.

At day-break, Ali Baba rose seeing all the oil jars still there, he asked, "Morgiyana, why the merchant did not take the jars and mules with him?"

Morgiyana led him to the first jar and asked him to look into it.

Seeing a man, he startled back in terror. "Don't worry," said Morgiyana, "the man cannot harm you, he is dead." To his astonishment, she told him the whole story. She told him it was a plot of the robbers of the forest, "Out of forty only three were left. They had marked the house with red and white chalks before." When Ali Baba heard all this, he at once gave Morgiyana her freedom, saying that he owed her his life.

They then buried the bodies in Ali Baba's garden, while the mules were sold in the market by his slaves.

The captain returned to his cave. He felt very lonely. Without his companions, it seemed frightful to him. He resolved to take revenge.

"I will kill Ali Baba for what he has done to my fellow men," he said to himself. Again he disguised himself and went to the town. There he took lodging in an inn.

Whenever he went to the forest cave, he used to bring rich stuffs and much fine linen. Then he set up a shop opposite to that of Ali Baba's son.

He called himself Cogia Hassan, and as he was both courteous and well-dressed, he soon made friends with Ali Baba's son Through his son, Cogia Hassan continuously asked Ali Baba to sup with him.

Ali Baba, wishing to return his kindness, invited him to his house and received him smiling, thanking him for his kindness to his son. When Cogia Hassan was about to take leave, All Baba stopped him, saying, "Where are you going, sir, in such a haste? Will you please stay and have dinner with me?"

Cogia Hassan refused saying that he had an appointment fixed earlier. To Ali Baba's constant request, he replied, "It is because I can eat no victuals that contain any salt in them."

"If that is the reason," said Ali Baba, "let me tell you that there will be no salt in either the meat or the bread that we are going to eat tonight." He went and told this to Morgiyana. She was surprised to hear that.

"Who is this man," she said, "who eats no salt with meat" "He is an honest man, Morgiyana," said Ali Baba, "So do as I tell you." Morgiyana could not resist a desire to see this strange man. So he helped Abdullah to carry up the dishes.

When she saw the guest, she at once recognized that Cogia Hassan was the leader of the robbers and that he had with him a dagger under his garment

"I have no doubt," she said to herself, "This wicked man who planned to kill my master, will eat no salted food with him. Of course, I will hinder his plans”

She sent the supper by Abdullah. Then she waited to act at the right time.

When the dessert had been served, Cogia Hassan was sitting with Ali Baba and his son. He was planning to kill them. Morgiyana, meanwhile, put on a head-dress like a dancing girl and put a girdle round her waist, from which hung a dagger with a silver hilt. Then she said to

Abdullah, "Take your tabor and let us go and divert our master and his guest"

Abdullah took his tabor and played before Morgiyana until they came to the doors. where Abdullah stopped playing and Morgiyana showed respect "Come in Morgiyana," said Ali Baba. "Come and let Cogia Hassan see what you can do."

Cogia Hassan was irritated because he feared that his chance of killing Ali Baba could not be done at present, but he pretended that he was very eager to see Morgiyana.

Abdullah began to play and Morgiyana started dancing.

While she was dancing she drew her dagger sometimes pointing it at her own breast, sometimes at her master's

She did like that as if it were a part of the dance

Suddenly, she snatched the tabor from Abdullah with her left hand. Then she held out the tabor to her master.

Ali Baba and his son put a piece of gold into it. She came to Cogia Hassan and he pulled out his purse to give her a present. While he was putting his hand into his purse, Morgiyana plunged the dagger into his heart.

"Foolish girl!" cried Ali Baba "What have you done? Oh, Now, you have ruined us "It is to save you master, not to ruin you," Morgiyana answered. "See here," she said, opening Cogia Hassan's garment and showing the dagger. "See the real face of

Cogia Hassan. You have entertained your enemy. Remember what he said, he would eat no salt with you."

It was a custom there. If you had salt in the food, you should not kill the one who gave you the salted food.

"Look at him. He is the leader of the forty thieves. I have suspected him at first sight and I was sure that he would attack you."

Ali Baba was shocked to hear that. When he rouse from the shock, he thanked her.

"You have saved me from the thief twice." He hugged her and cried, "From today onwards, you are free and you are no more my slave."

Ali Baba was so grateful to Morgiyana that he offered her his son in marriage to which his son readily agreed. After a few days, the wedding was celebrated in great splendour.

Days passed on.

One morning, Ali Baba mounted his horse and reached the cave, with all care and caution. He did not find any sign of man or horse. So he ventured to go near the door. Then he dismounted, and tied the horse to a tree.

After that he went to the entrance and said: "Open Sesame," which he had not forgotten.

The door flew open and he entered into the cave and he saw the goods and the treasures untouched and lying as he had left them.

So he was sure that, not one of all the thieves was alive He understood that he was the only person who knew the secret of the place.

At once he bound in his saddle-cloth a load of gold and silver coins as much as his horse could carry and brought it home. After some days, Ali Baba and his son went to the cave and brought home all the treasures in the cave Thus Ali Baba and his family lived all pomp and splendour in that city where he had been a pauper.

He had become so rich that his future generations never ever saw poverty

Mullah Nazaruddin: Sharing Money

2022-09-08T12:17:00.005-07:00

Badru and Shankat were neighbours. But they were of opposite nature.

Badru was a hard working man. Each day he took his hatchet and went to the woods. He cut down a tree and sold the wood in the market. That is how he earned his living.

Shankat was a lazy man. He never did any work. He spent his time eating good food and wandering in the market.

One morning, as usual Badru started for the forest. Shankat met him on the way. Then Shankat said, "Badru, I am also coming with you today. I will help you in your duties."

"Welcome," said Badru.

So they went into the forest. Badru selected a tree and started cutting down its branches.

Shankat sat on a stone nearby. He said, "Badru, you are doing good work. Keep it up." After sometime, he lay down and slept.

Around noon, Badru stopped his work. He took out his lunch box. He shared his lunch with Shankat. After the meal, Shankat went back to sleep. Badru started working again. Before evening, he cut down the tree, chopped the wood to pieces, and bundled them. Then he carried the firewood to the market. He sold it for ten coins. Then Shankat said, "Give me my share of

the money." "For what?" asked Badru. "You didn't do any work."

"But I encouraged you with my words," said Shankat.

After quarrelling for a while, they approached Mullah Nazaruddin and said, "Please settle this dispute."

They told him the whole story.

"Alright," said the Mullah. "I will assist you divide the ten coins. We can divide it as five and five." Shankat looked happy.

"Or," said Mullah Nazaruddin. "We can divide it as six and four. Or seven and three. Or eight and two. Or nine and one. Or ten and zero. Yes, that's right. Badru who did all the work will get ten coins. Shankat, who slept the whole day, will get zero." Badru thanked Mullah Nazaruddin.

Mullah Nazaruddin: A House in the Air

2022-09-08T12:16:00.007-07:00

Latif was a builder. He built houses and sold them. That is how he earned a living. Once he built a two-storeyed house. It was a big and beautiful house. A rich man called Abdul wanted to buy it. Latif wanted ten thousand coins for the house. Abdul agreed. But he had a condition."I will pay 5,000 coins now," he said. "I will possess one story of the house. I will pay the balance five thousand coins six months later." Latif agreed. So Abdul paid him five thousand coins. He began living on the principal floor of the house. The ground floor was kept locked. Six months passed. But Latif did not pay the balance amount. "I don't have enough money," he said. "Give me another three months."

Months passed. But Abdul did not pay the amount. Latif was worried. He wanted the money to build another house. But Abdul did not pay.

At last, Latif went to Mullah Nazaruddin and told him the whole story. "I want that money," he said. "Please help me."

Mullah Nazaruddin thought for a while. Then he whispered something in Latif's ears. Latif was happy. "I will do that," he said.

Then he went to Abdul and said, "You have not paid the balance amount of five thousand coins. So, the ground floor belongs to me. I will do what I want there." "Do what you want," said Abdul. "I am happyon the principal floor." The following day, Latif came there for certain specialists. They carried big hammers and crossbars.

Latif called Abdul and said, "The ground floor is mine. So I am going to break the walls." "How can you do that?" asked Abdul in anger. "If you break the walls of the ground floor, the

first floor will fall down. You see, my house cannot stand in the air."

"I don't care," said Latif. He asked his men to start work. They began to hit the walls. "Stop! Please stop!" cried out Abdul. "Don't

damage the house. I will pay you the money." So Abdul paid five thousand coins to Latif. "Presently the house is yours," said Latif.

Latif paid some tips to the workers. Then he went to Mullah Nazaruddin and said: "Your idea has worked. He has paid the money. Mullah, you are the wisest man in the world." Mullah smiled.

Mullah Nazaruddin: Shifting Houses

2022-09-08T12:15:00.001-07:00

Basheer was a high official in the Caliph's court. Every day he met the Caliph and took orders from him. He was very influential. He used his influence to make money. Soon he became very rich.

Basheer needed to have a major house. So he purchased a huge plot of land in a close by town and fabricated a house there. It was a gigantic house with two stories and many rooms. There was a lovely nursery before the house.

Only one thing troubled Basheer. All his neighbours were poor. They were not good company for him.

On the left side of his house lived Ahmed. He was the village carpenter. He made tables and chairs, doors and windows for the villagers. Though he was poor, he was happy. He worked from morning till night. As he worked on wood, he made a lot of noise. The noise disturbed Basheer.

On the right side of Basheer's house lived Hameed, the village blacksmith. He made knives and spoons and shovels for the villagers. Hameed too worked the whole day. As he beat the iron into shape, there was a lot of sound. It disturbed Basheer.

"I should make these two people thove away," Basheer said to himself. Then he called Ahmed and Hameed to his house and said: "You are both my neighbours. But your houses and workspots are very small.I'll give you 1,000 coins each. You purchase one more enormous spot and shift there. You'll be more cheerful there."

"In any case, I acknowledge you should move," said Basheer raising his voice. "Think for a few days and some time later re-appearance of me.

Ahmed and Hameed went out. "What shall we do?" asked Ahmed. "If we don't shift he might trouble us. I've heard that he is very close to the Caliph." "Yes," said Hameed. "He might complain to the Caliph. The Caliph may put us in jail." "Let's ask Mullah Nazaruddin. He will be able to help us." "Yes," said Hameed. "He is wise. He'll tell us what to do."

So they went to Mullah Nazaruddin and told him about their problem.

Mulla Nazaruddin listened very carefully. Then he thought for sometime and said, "Don't worry. Now go to Basheer and take the money from him. Tell him that you are ready to shift." "But we don't want to shift from here," said

Ahmed and Hameed together.

"Who's asking you to shift?" said Mullah Nazaruddin. Then he whispered something in their ears. "That's a good idea," they said.

The next day, Ahmed and Hameed went to Basheer's house and said: "We are ready to shift tonight. Please give us the money."

Basheer was happy. He gave them a thousand coins each. Then he dreamed of living peacefully in his house.

The following morning, Basheer awakened. He was astounded to hear the uproarious sound from his area. He called his workers and said, "Bring

Ahmed and Hameed here right away."

Before long the two men showed up before him. Basheer was shaking with outrage. "You've bamboozled me," he said.

"You bring cash from me, how ever have not moved. I'll gripe to the Caliph and put you in jail."

"Yet, we have moved," said Ahmed.

"Indeed," said Hameed. "I've moved to Ahmed's home and he has moved to my home. Presently we are working from our new houses."

Ahmed and Hameed disappeared. Basheer didn't have the foggiest idea what to say.

Mullah Nazaruddin: The Real Astrologer

2022-09-08T12:13:00.005-07:00

Karimullah was the astrologer in the Caliph's court. Actually he did not know any astrology. But somehow he predicted some things about the future.

One day the Caliph called Karimullah and asked, "How will the weather be tomorrow?"

It had been bright and sunny for the past few days. There was no sign of rain. So Karimullah boldly said, "It will be bright tomorrow."

"Good," said the Caliph. "I'm going for hunting tomorrow."

The next morning, the Caliph went for hunting. Several soldiers and hunting dogs went with him. As the party neared the forest, a farmer

came from the opposite direction. "Your Highness," said the farmer. "It's a wrong day for hunting. It will rain soon."

The Caliph ignored him and went into the forest. Suddenly the weather changed. It began to rain. The Caliph and his men got completely wet. With great difficulty, he reached the palace. The Caliph was very angry. He called a meeting of the courtiers. He asked his men to bring Karimullah and the farmer to the palace. Karimullah knew his life was in danger. So he went to Mullah Nazaruddin and told him all that had happened. "Please save my life," he begged. "I'll try to help you," said the Mullah.. Soon the court assembled. The Caliph entered and said: "Yesterday, Karimullah told me that the weather would be fine today. So I went for hunting and got wet. Karimullah is a cheat. I will cut off his head. The farmer is a good astrologer. I appoint him the court.

astrologer."

"Your Highness," said Mullah Nazaruddin. "The farmer also cannot predict the weather correctly. He just looks at his donkey and talks about the weather."

"Is that so?" the Caliph asked the farmer. "Yes, Your Highness," said the farmer. "Every morning, I look at my donkey. If his ears stand upright, it means there will be no rain. But if its ears point to the front, it means there will be rain. This morning, my donkey's ears pointed to the front. That is why I said that there will be rain."

Suddenly the Caliph laughed. "So neither Karimullah nor the farmer is a good astrologer. Only the donkey can predict the weather. But I cannot appoint a donkey as the court astrologer." He laughed again.

Thus Karimullah's life was saved. Later he met Mullah Nazaruddin and gave him several presents.

Mullah Nazaruddin: The Sun and the Moon

2022-09-08T12:11:00.003-07:00

Early one morning, a soldier from the Caliph's palace came to Mullah Nazaruddin's house. He called the Mullah and said: "The Caliph has called a meeting of the courtiers. So you should reach the palace immediately." Mullah Nazaruddin got ready quickly and went to the palace. By then, the other courtiers had already assembled there.

All of them waited anxiously for the arrival of the Caliph.

A few minutes later, the Caliph entered the court room. All the courtiers stood up and greeted him. The Caliph took his seat. Then the others sat down.

"I have a problem," said the Caliph. "That is why I called this meeting. Last night my wife asked me a question: 'Who is more important - the sun or the moon?' I could not give her a proper answer. I want everyone of you to answer the question. The man who gives the best answer will get one thousand coins."

For a minute there was silence in the court room. Then the seniormost minister got up and said: "Your Majesty, the sun gives us a lot of light and heat. But the moon's light is dim. Also, he does not give us any heat. So I think the sun is more important."

"That is a good answer," said the Caliph. Then, one by one, the other courtiers spoke. They all supported the minister. They said the sun was more important.

At last only two people were left - Siraj and Mullah Nazaruddin.

Siraj got up and said: "Your Majesty, every day the sun appears at the same time. He shines throughout the day. But the moon is not at all regular. Sometimes he appears soon after nightfall. Some other times, he appears after midnight. Also, the moon has no definite shape. Only once in a month, he appears in his full shape. Then he becomes smaller and smaller and disappears. But the sun is always round and beautiful. So the sun is more important." "Good," said the Caliph. "That is a very good answer."

Then Mullah Nazaruddin said: "Sir, the sun gives us light only during the day. The days are anyway bright. The nights are dark and we need light in the night. The moon gives us light during the night. So clearly the moon is more important."

"That is a very clever answer," said the Caliph. "I have got my answer. The meeting is over."

When the Mullah went home, he had a bag in his hand. There were a thousand coins in the bag.

Mullah Nazaruddin: A Ghost Story

2022-09-08T12:09:00.005-07:00

Mullah Nazaruddin used to go on long journeys to visit places and meet people.

One morning he started from home on his donkey. He carried a shoulder bag containing some clothes and food.

He travelled throughout the day. In the evening, he started looking for a place to rest. Then he saw a graveyard.

Mullah Nazaruddin did not believe in ghost. So he used to take rest in the graveyard. He tied his donkey to a post near the gate. Then he

ate some food and lay down on a platform in the graveyard. Soon he fell asleep.

Around 12 PM, Mullah Nazaruddin awakened hearing some clamor. He didn't get up. Lying on his foundation, he glanced around. He saw three men coming into the cemetery. They had mallets and blades in their grasp. So Mullah Nazaruddin realize that they were criminals. They had come to open the grave and to take the adornments on the dead bodies.

As the men came near, the Mullah suddenly got up. He shouted: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The men were shocked. They stood in their path. After sometime, one of them asked: "Who are you?"

"I am a ghost," said Mullah Nazaruddin. "I was buried only yesterday. It is very hot inside the grave. So I came out to have some fresh air."

The men stood still. So the Mullah continued:

"We ghosts don't like humans. So go away immediately. Otherwise, I will push you into one of the graves."

The men were really afraid. They began to run. Mullah Nazaruddin shouted again: "There is a donkey at the gate. It is also a ghost. If you go near it, it will kick you to death."

The men ran away as fast as they could. They did not ever look at the donkey. Mullah Nazaruddin had a hearty laugh. Then

he went back to sleep.

Mullah Nazaruddin: Catching a Thief

2022-09-08T12:04:00.005-07:00

Mullah Nazaruddin's town was a calm and quiet one. There was no brutality there. Also, there were no burglaries. Individuals left their entryways open when they went out. No one removed anything. Be that as it may, one evening, things changed out of nowhere. There was a burglary in the town. The digging tools kept in Giazuddin's nursery were taken.

The following evening, a few vessels were taken from another house. There was one more burglary in the third evening.

Individuals were stressed. They didn't have even the remotest clue what to do. They couldn't keep watch in the evening. It was extremely, cold.

The locals gathered in the commercial center. They discussed the robberies. "We should get this hoodlum," expressed one of them.

"If not living here will be troublesome."

"Yes," said another. "But how do we do that?"

"We should proceed to ask Mullah Nazaruddin," said Giazuddin. "He will figure out how to get the hoodlum." So they went to Mullah Nazaruddin's home and educated him regarding the issue.

"Allow me two days' time," said the Mullah. "I'll figure out how to get the hoodlum."

The following day, a truck came and halted before Mullah Nazaruddin's home. The cartman took a few wooden boxes and kept them in Mullah Nazaruddin's nursery. The Mullah gave him some cash and he disappeared. A few neighbors came there and inquired,

"What is there in those crates, Mullah?" "They contain som.ining entirely significant," said

Mullah Nazaruddin. "After at some point I will keep them inside the house."

A few group came to see the crates. Mullah Nazaruddin didn't take them inside the house. Around evening time he nodded off. However he didn't nod off. He held up behind the entryway.

After 12 PM, a man came that way. He took care of his body in a cover. He entered the Mullah's nursery and went close to the wooden boxes. He opened a case and put his hand in. Out of nowhere he shouted out in torment. He fell on the ground and shouted out once more.

A portion of the neighbors heard the cries and came there. Mullah Nazaruddin likewise emerged and said, "He is the cheat. Get him."

Individuals got him and attached him to a tree. Then, at that point, the Mullah said, "He came to take the things in the cases. In reality the crates contained colonies of bees. As he opened a container, the honey bees began stinging him. That is the reason he shouted out."

Individuals gave over the cheat to the Sultan's troopers. They applauded the insight of Mullah Nazaruddin.

Mullah Nazaruddin: Spinning Money

2022-09-08T12:03:00.001-07:00

One morning, Mullah Nazaruddin was sitting at his breakfast table. His wife kept two boiled eggs and a cup of hot drink before him.

The Mullah started drinking from the cup. But he was thinking of something else. Idly he took an egg and started spinning it on the table.

"What are you doing?" asked his wife. Mullah Nazaruddin woke up from his thoughts. He saw that the boiled egg was spinning on the table.

He looked at it for sometime.

Suddenly he had an idea. He took the boiled egg and covered it with his handkerchief. Then he put it in his shoulder bag.

He put the bag on his shoulder. Then he looked at his wife and said, "I am going to the market." He went out.

At the market he bought half-a-dozen eggs and put them in his bag.

He saw some men sitting in a corner. "Let's play a game," he said to them.

"What game?" asked one of them. "I'll tell you," said the Mullah. "Each of us should put five coins in the table. Then we'll spin an egg. The man whose egg spins the longest will get all the money."

They agreed. Mullah Nazaruddin gave an egg each to six men. Then he took the boiled egg from the handkerchief. He kept it with himself.

Then they started spinning the eggs. They asked a boy to count. After the first man finished spinning, the boy said, "four". Then he counted the number of spins of the others' eggs. "Six", "seven", "nine", "four", "eight"... Nine was the highest.

Then Muliah Nazaruddin spun his egg.

"Twelve," said the boy

Thus Mulah won the game and pocketed

all the money

Mulah Nazaruddin went home and told his wife today I made thirty coins with this egg You know, boiled eggs spin longer than fresh eggs