Mulla Nasreddin Stories: 12 Famous Tales With the Persian Punchlines

Mulla Nasreddin stories are short, funny folk tales about a wise fool who rides his donkey, argues with neighbors and outwits judges and kings. In Persian he is ملانصرالدین (mollâ nasreddin), and his best-known tales include the soup of the soup, “eat, my coat, eat,” the pot that died, and the ring he searched for where the light was better.

Below are 12 of the most famous Mulla Nasreddin stories, retold in plain English, each with the key line in Persian, its pronunciation and the lesson behind the laugh. You will also find who Nasreddin was, why Iranians still quote him every day, and practice exercises so the Persian lines stick.

Who was Mulla Nasreddin?

Nobody knows for sure. Turkish tradition says Nasreddin Hodja was a real man born in the early 1200s near Sivrihisar in Anatolia, who settled in Akşehir, where a tomb in his name still stands and a festival is held for him every summer. Bukhara and other cities also claim him, and many scholars see him as a folk character who collected older jokes over the centuries, including stories once told about the Arab trickster Juha.

What is certain is how far he traveled. He is Nasreddin Hodja in Turkey, Mulla or Molla Nasreddin in Iran, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, Afandi in Central Asia, and Juha (Joha) in much of the Arab world. In 2022 UNESCO added the tradition of telling Nasreddin anecdotes to its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, after a joint nomination by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

What does “Mulla” mean?

ملا (mollâ) Listen is a title for a learned man or a member of the clergy, someone who could read, teach and give advice. The Turkish equivalent is Hodja (hoca, “teacher”). Part of the joke is the title itself: a man who should be the wisest person in the village keeps doing the silliest things, and somehow ends up being right.

Nasreddin in Persian literature

Persian writers knew this kind of humor long before printed joke books. Rumi tells several Juha anecdotes in his Masnavi, and the fourteenth-century satirist Obeyd Zakani included Juha stories in his collections of jokes. In modern Iran, printed collections called حکایت‌های ملانصرالدین (hekâyat-hâ-ye mollâ nasreddin, “the tales of Mulla Nasreddin”) Listen have been popular for generations, and the stories are a standard part of Iranian childhood.

His name also went to a famous magazine. Molla Nasreddin, a satirical weekly founded by the Azerbaijani writer Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, appeared in Tiflis (Tbilisi) from 1906, later in Tabriz and Baku, and was widely read in Iran, where it influenced the satirical press of the Constitutional Revolution period.

12 famous Mulla Nasreddin stories (with the Persian lines)

Each story is a short retelling in our own words. Many have several versions; we give the one most Iranians know. Read the story, then say the Persian line out loud with the Listen button.

1. The soup of the soup

A villager visits Mulla Nasreddin and brings him a fat duck as a gift. The Mulla is delighted, cooks the duck and shares a good meal with his guest. A week later a stranger knocks: “I am a friend of the man who brought you the duck.” The Mulla serves him soup made from what is left. The next week another stranger arrives: “I am a friend of the friend of the man who brought you the duck.” This keeps happening until the Mulla has had enough. When the next “friend of the friend” sits down, he places a bowl of hot water in front of him. “What is this?” asks the guest. The Mulla answers:

این آب آب آب اردک است. Listen
(in âb-e âb-e âb-e ordak ast) “This is the soup of the soup of the soup of the duck.”

The lesson: generosity has limits, and people who live off someone else’s kindness get what they bring. Note that آب (âb) means “water” but also “broth,” as in آبگوشت (âbgusht), the classic Iranian meat stew.

2. Eat, my coat, eat

The Mulla is invited to a wedding feast and shows up in his old, patched work clothes. Nobody greets him, nobody offers him a seat, and the food passes him by. He slips home, puts on his finest new coat and comes back. Now the host rushes to welcome him and seats him at the head of the table. When the food arrives, the Mulla dips his sleeve into the dish and says, “Eat, my coat, eat.” The guests stare. “It was the coat you invited,” he explains, “so the coat should eat.”

بخور آستین، بخور. Listen (bokhor âstin, bokhor) “Eat, sleeve, eat.”

This story gave Persian a proverb people still use when someone is treated well only because of their clothes, money or position: آستین نو بخور پلو (âstin-e now bokhor polow) Listen, “new sleeve, eat the rice.”

The lesson: judge people by who they are, not by what they wear.

3. The pot that gave birth, then died

The Mulla borrows a large cooking pot from his neighbor. A few days later he returns it with a small pot inside. “What is this?” asks the neighbor. “Good news,” says the Mulla, “your pot gave birth.” The neighbor happily keeps both. Some weeks later the Mulla borrows the big pot again and does not return it. When the neighbor comes to ask, the Mulla looks sad:

دیگ شما مرد. Listen (dig-e shomâ mord) “Your pot died.”

“Since when do pots die?” shouts the neighbor. The Mulla replies: وقتی باور کردی که دیگ زایید، چرا باور نمی‌کنی که مرد؟ (vaghti bâvar kardi ke dig zâyid, cherâ bâvar nemikoni ke mord?) “When you believed the pot gave birth, why don’t you believe it died?”

The lesson: if you accept a nonsense story when it benefits you, you cannot reject it when it doesn’t. Greed makes people believe anything.

4. Do you believe the donkey or me?

A neighbor comes to borrow the Mulla’s donkey. The Mulla doesn’t want to lend it, so he says, خرم خانه نیست. Listen (kharam khâne nist) “My donkey isn’t home.” At that very moment the donkey brays loudly from the stable. “But I can hear it,” says the neighbor. The Mulla is offended: حرف خر را باور می‌کنی و حرف مرا باور نمی‌کنی؟ (harf-e khar râ bâvar mikoni va harf-e marâ bâvar nemikoni?) “You believe the donkey’s word and not mine?”

The lesson: a confident face does not make a lie true, and some people would rather lose an argument with dignity than admit it.

5. Looking where the light is

One evening a neighbor finds the Mulla on his hands and knees in the street under a lamp. “What did you lose?” “My ring.” The neighbor helps him search for a long time. Finally he asks, “Where exactly did you drop it?” “Inside the house.” “Then why are we looking out here?” The Mulla answers:

چون اینجا روشن‌تر است. Listen (chon injâ roshan-tar ast) “Because it’s brighter out here.”

The lesson: we often look for answers where looking is easy, not where the answer is. In some English retellings the ring becomes a key; the story is the same.

6. You are right too

The Mulla is serving as village judge. The first man tells his side of a quarrel, and the Mulla nods: “You are right.” The second man tells the opposite story, and the Mulla nods again: “You are right.” His wife, listening from the next room, says, “They can’t both be right.” The Mulla thinks about it and turns to her:

تو هم راست می‌گویی. Listen (to ham râst miguyi) “You are right too.” In everyday spoken Persian: تو هم راست می‌گی (to ham râst migi).

The lesson: every side of a story sounds convincing on its own. Iranians quote this one about people who agree with whoever spoke last.

7. The sermon nobody heard

The Mulla is asked to preach at the mosque, but he has prepared nothing. He climbs the pulpit and asks, می‌دانید می‌خواهم چه بگویم؟ Listen (midânid mikhâham che beguyam?) “Do you know what I am going to say?” “No,” says the crowd. “Then I have nothing to say to people who know nothing,” he says, and leaves. The next week he asks the same question. This time they answer, “Yes.” “Then you don’t need me,” he says, and leaves again. The third week the crowd is ready: half say yes and half say no. The Mulla smiles: “Then let those who know tell those who don’t,” and walks out.

The lesson: a quick mind can escape any trap, and a crowd that tries to outsmart a trickster usually loses.

8. What if it takes?

Iranians make yogurt by stirring a spoonful of old yogurt, the starter, into warm milk. One day people see the Mulla at the edge of a lake, stirring a spoonful of yogurt into the water. “What are you doing?” “Turning the lake into yogurt.” They laugh: “That will never work.” The Mulla keeps stirring:

اگه بگیره چی می‌شه. Listen (age begire chi mishe) “Imagine if it takes.”

The written form is اگر بگیرد چه می‌شود (agar begirad che mishavad). The verb گرفتن (gereftan, “to take, to set”) is the word for yogurt setting. Iranians still say “age begire chi mishe” about a long-shot plan, half joking and half hopeful.

The lesson: it depends who you ask. Some hear foolishness, some hear the spirit of a dreamer who tries anyway.

9. The fight over the Mulla’s quilt

Late one winter night the Mulla hears shouting in the street. He wraps himself in his quilt and goes out to see what the fight is about. In the confusion someone pulls the quilt off his shoulders and runs away, and the noise suddenly stops. He walks back into the house shivering. “What was the fight about?” asks his wife. The Mulla says, “It was about my quilt. Once they had it, the fight was over.”

The story became one of the most common Persian sayings: دعوا سر لحاف ملا بود. Listen (da’vâ sar-e lahâf-e mollâ bud) “The fight was over the Mulla’s quilt.” People say it when a big argument or crisis turns out to have been staged so someone could take something.

The lesson: when a commotion breaks out, ask who walks away with the quilt.

10. The moon in the well

One night the Mulla goes to the well for water and sees the moon shining at the bottom. “The poor moon has fallen into the well,” he cries, and runs for a rope with a hook. He lowers it, the hook catches on a stone, and he pulls with all his strength. Suddenly the rope comes loose and he falls flat on his back. Lying there, he sees the moon up in the sky. “Thank God,” he says, ماه سر جایش برگشت. Listen (mâh sar-e jâyash bargasht) “The moon is back in its place.” “It cost me a fall, but it was worth it.”

The lesson: we sometimes take credit for things that would have happened anyway. Kids love this one; adults recognize themselves in it.

11. The Mulla, his son and the donkey

The Mulla and his son set out for the market with their donkey. The son rides and the Mulla walks. People say, “Shameful, the young man rides while his old father walks.” They switch. Others say, “What a heartless father, letting the little boy walk.” They both ride. “Poor donkey, two people on its back.” They both walk. “Look at these fools, they have a donkey and nobody rides it.” At last the Mulla says to his son, نمی‌شود همه را راضی کرد. Listen (nemishavad hame râ râzi kard) “You can’t please everyone.”

The lesson: do what you think is right; whatever you do, somebody will complain. This fable is told about many characters across the world, but in Iran it is usually a Mulla story.

12. The smell of food and the sound of money

A poor man eats his dry bread in the doorway of a kitchen where a rich cook is roasting meat. The cook grabs him: “You enjoyed the smell of my food. Pay for it.” They go to the Mulla, who is acting as judge. The Mulla takes a few coins from his own pocket, shakes them next to the cook’s ear and puts them back. “What was that?” asks the cook. صدای پول، برای بوی غذا. Listen (sedâ-ye pul, barâye bu-ye ghazâ) “The sound of money, for the smell of food.”

The lesson: fair payment matches what was received. In some versions the food is soup or kebab, and the man is the Mulla himself.

Other Nasreddin tales you will hear

• Riding the donkey backward. The Mulla rides facing the tail. Asked why, he says that if he faced forward, his students walking behind him would see his back, and that would be rude. The image of the Mulla sitting backward on his donkey, وارونه سوار خر (vârune savâr-e khar), is the picture on almost every book cover.
• The grapes. Children beg the Mulla for some of his grapes, and he gives each child one grape. “That’s all?” “The taste of the whole basket is in one grape.”
• The donkey that learns to read. A ruler orders the Mulla to teach his donkey to read and gives him years to do it. The Mulla accepts the money. “In that time,” he tells a friend, “either the king dies, or the donkey dies, or I die.”

Why Iranians love Mulla Nasreddin

Ask Iranians about Mulla Nasreddin and most will tell you a story before they finish the sentence. There are a few reasons he has lasted so long.

• He turned into proverbs. Sayings like دعوا سر لحاف ملا بود and آستین نو بخور پلو are used by people who may not even remember the story behind them. Knowing the tales helps you understand everyday conversation. See our collection of Persian idioms and proverbs for more sayings with stories behind them.
• He is safe satire. A “foolish” Mulla can say what a sensible person cannot: that the rich are vain, that judges can be bought, that crowds follow whoever speaks last. Laughing at him is a way of laughing at power.
• He is family entertainment. Illustrated collections for children sit on shelves in many Iranian homes, and parents and grandparents retell the stories at bedtime.
• He is a little bit of everyone. Clever one minute, absurd the next, the Mulla is never just a fool or just a sage. The humor, like a lot of Persian humor, lives in that gap. It shares this spirit with taarof: what is said and what is meant are not always the same thing.

Key vocabulary from the Mulla Nasreddin stories

Animal words come up constantly in these tales; our list of animals in Persian has the rest.

How to use Mulla Nasreddin stories to learn Persian

Few texts are better for learners. The stories are short, the vocabulary is everyday, the plot is easy to predict, and the punchline rewards you for understanding. A simple routine:

1. Read the story in English first (like the versions above), so you know what happens.
2. Read it in Persian and underline the words you recognize. With the plot in your head, you can guess most of the rest.
3. Learn the punchline by heart. It is usually one short sentence, and it often lives on as a saying.
4. Retell it out loud in simple Persian, in the past tense: ملا رفت…, همسایه گفت…. Telling a joke is great speaking practice because you have to get the timing right.
5. Notice spoken vs. written forms. Printed versions are written in formal Persian, but people tell them in the spoken language, so the same line can appear as می‌گویی or می‌گی. Our guide to spoken vs. written Persian explains the pattern.

When you are ready for more, our free Persian jokes lessons explain modern jokes line by line, starting with Memory Loss, and the advanced Persian lessons offer more reading practice. For a full collection of these tales in Persian with vocabulary and exercises, see Laugh and Learn Farsi: Mulla Nasreddin Tales.

Want to test yourself on sayings like these? Try the Persian idioms quiz, and read 11 Farsi idioms with no English equivalent.

Common questions

Was Mulla Nasreddin a real person?

Possibly, but nobody can prove it. Turkish tradition places a real Nasreddin Hodja in thirteenth-century Anatolia, with a tomb in Akşehir, while other regions claim him too. Many of the stories are older than that and were attached to him later, so it is best to think of him as a folk character, whatever the man behind him was like.

Is Mulla Nasreddin Persian, Turkish or Arab?

All of them, in a sense. Turks call him Nasreddin Hodja, Iranians, Afghans and Azerbaijanis call him Mulla Nasreddin, Central Asians call him Afandi, and in the Arab world his double is Juha. Each culture tells the stories in its own language and adds its own tales, and each feels he belongs to them.

What is the most famous Mulla Nasreddin story?

There is no single winner, but the soup of the soup, “eat, my coat, eat,” the pot that died and the ring searched for under the light are told almost everywhere. In Iran, the story of the Mulla’s quilt is especially well known because it became the everyday saying دعوا سر لحاف ملا بود.

How do you write Mulla Nasreddin in Persian?

ملانصرالدین (mollâ nasreddin), also written as two words, ملا نصرالدین. Listen English spellings vary a lot: Mulla, Mullah, Molla; Nasreddin, Nasruddin, Nasrudin. If you want to see your own name in Persian script, try our name in Persian tool.

What is the moral of Mulla Nasreddin stories?

There is rarely just one. Some stories mock greed and vanity (the pot, the coat), some teach fairness (the smell of food), some laugh at human logic (the ring under the light, the moon in the well). The Mulla is both the fool and the teacher, so readers have argued about the morals for centuries, which is part of the fun.

Are Mulla Nasreddin stories good for learning Persian?

Yes. They are short, use everyday vocabulary and the past tense, and their punchlines often became proverbs you will hear in conversation. Start with the English version, then read the Persian, learn the punchline by heart and retell the story out loud.

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