In an effort to increase the number of clean jokes that are available on the internet we have begun to compile a list of jokes and humorous stories that any one can enjoy on this Examiner page.
Unfortunately, the sources for many of the jokes in this series are unknown. If the reader can offer more information about a joke which is featured (an alternative telling, names of the characters, origin or culture, etc.) please let us know in the comment section below.
THE JOKE:
Once, a city invited Imam Nasruddin Hoja to deliver a speech. When he got on the minbar, he found the audience was not very enthusiastic, so he asked "Do you know what I am going to say?" The audience replied "NO", so he announced "I have no desire to speak to people who don't even know what I will be talking about" and he left.
The people felt embarrassed and called him back again the next day. This time when he asked the same question, the people replied "YES" So Imam Nasruddin said, "Well, since you already know what I am going to say, I won't waste any more of your time" and he left.
Now the people were really perplexed. They decided to try one more time and once again invited the Imam to speak the following week. Once again he asked the same question - "Do you know what I am going to say?" Now the people were prepared and so half of them answered "YES" while the other half replied "NO". So Imam Nasruddin said "The half who know what I am going to say, tell it to the other half" and he left again!
THE MORAL:
(Since a khutba is generally given on Fridays, this joke should be pertinent to many readers today. Friday sermon and prayer will be conducted at the Islamic Center of Ann Arbor at 12 noon and 1:30pm today)
From most accounts of Nasruddin Hoja, it is easy to see that he likes provoking thought. He also gets immense satisfaction out of doing the unexpected. In this story the audience members never demanded that Hoja give them a lecture. Perhaps if they had, Imam Nasruddin would have replied, "This is the lecture -- my behavior is the lesson."
Hoja wasn't teasing the congregation. He was teaching the congregation; in his unorthodox and mysterious way. Of course, most of the congregation did not grasp the lesson, but the few who did, were likely transformed by the experience.
Share the different experiences you've had during an Islamic lecture in the comment section below. Was it a traditional or non-traditional talk?
