The Sermon

The people of Mulla Nasruddin's town once asked him to give a talk at the mosque. He did not want to, because he had not prepared anything, but they insisted. So on Friday he climbed up, looked out at the crowd and said, “Do you know what I am going to talk about today?”

“No,” said everyone.

“Well, if you don't know,” said Nasruddin, “then I am not going to waste my time telling you.” And he climbed down and went home.

The people were annoyed. The next Friday they made him go up again. “Do you know what I am going to talk about today?” he asked.

This time they had planned their answer. “Yes!” they all said.

“Well, if you already know,” said Nasruddin, “then there is no need for me to tell you.” And he climbed down and went home again.

Now the people were very annoyed, and also a little bit clever. They met together and made a plan. On the third Friday, when Nasruddin climbed up and asked, “Do you know what I am going to talk about today?”, half the crowd shouted, “Yes!” and the other half shouted, “No!”

They sat back and grinned. Surely they had caught him this time.

Nasruddin smiled at them all, very pleased. “Excellent,” he said. “Then those of you who know can tell those of you who don't.”

And he climbed down and went home for his lunch.