The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin: (Compass)

The appeal of Nasrudin is as universal and timeless as the truths he illustrates. This delightful collection of teaching stories in which Mulla Nasrudin is the main actor is both an outstanding anthology of humor and a book of Sufi wisdom.   Here are stories by the Sufi masters Rumi, Jami, and Attar, plus others collected by Idries Shah from the Persian, Afghan, Turkish, and Arabic cultures.

Table of Contents:
The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin - Idries Shah Introduction The Reason Eating his money The use of a light Why don't you? Prudence Assumptions Just suppose... Alternate crop Tit for tat Whose servant am I? Inscrutable Fate The Answer Idiots If Allah wills it A great thought The Exploit The Hunt Both, Your Majesty! Forgotten himself Not so difficult Obligation Fixed ideas There is a different time-scale Man bites dog - that's news Just as well I came along Strange that you should ask... Avoid entanglement How foolish can a man be? Cause and effect That's why they bunged it up The burden of guilt Description of the goods More useful Which is my half? Learn how to learn Face the facts Congratulations Too-obvious principles When you face things alone The roles of Man Dry in the rain What is real evidence? Behind the obvious Objectivity Nobody complains... How far can you usefully be from the truth? I believe you are right! It appears to be thou! Ladder for sale Why camels have no wings The gold, the cloak and the horse Give him time The Yogi, the Priest and the Sufi Remembering Refutation of the Philosophers ASk me another The Reward The high cost of learning The spiritual teacher Hot soup, cold hands A word for it Science A question is an answer Aren't we all? The value of truth Take no chances Guess what? The Merchant Don't run away with the idea... The Chickens Prayer is better than sleep... What is to be The Logician Once bitten Good news The dog at his feet Facts are facts Not to be taken away Not as easy as it seems Repetitiousness Never miss a bargain The omen that worked The Change The value of a desire When to worry Or else... How long is too long? Anachronism No time to waste Altruism Perhaps there is a road up there The Announcement What is above and what is below... The Speculator Louder than an ox I did not start it In the mosque Eggs Allah will provide The School Clairvoyance Invisible extension Mistaken identity Deductive reasoning Let it be wheat The Genius Why? It is what he says that counts What will he find? Just for the asking We come and we go The Karkrujami The smell of a thought The Burglar A matter of time, not place All in my wife's name Waiting for the yeast to rise Even fire Later than you think On his own Limits of perception Which way round? The milkman's horse What is it all for? Pyramid expert Where I sit Anyone can do it that way Life and death A penny less to pay Why ask me? The Daughters All included Why shouldn't they mourn? Not worth keeping The Physician Appetite The Secret Maximum capacity Battle of the sexes At the frontier Try anything once Seven with one stroke Raw material Catch your rabbit Pity the poor natives How far is far enough? Economic law Private property Tie up below! Fire Instinct The question contains its answer Nosebags and donkeys The Mulla's dream The King spoke to me Nobody really knows Truth Last year's nests Head and heels Just in case Old graves for new Nasrudin's will Incomplete The Mulla's tomb

About the Author :
Idries Shah was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition who wrote dozens of books on topics ranging from psychology to spiritualilty to travelogues to other anthropological studies. In his writings, Shah presented Sufism as a universal form of wisdom that predated Islam. Shah is known for The Sufis, The Commanding Self, The Subleties of the Inimitable Mulla Nasrudin, The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin, Thinkers of the East, and Learning How to Learn.  Errol Le Cain (1941–89) was a British animator and author and illustrator of books for children. Without much formal training, he first joined the animation studio of Richard Williams. He then became a freelance animator and illustrator, working on BBC sets, and eventually became an illustrator of children’s books. As an author, he published three books and, in 1984, won the Kate Greenaway Medal, which recognizes “distinguished illustration in a book for children.”