As militant Islam does its level best to discredit the religion, it's important to remember that there are other voices within the faith. One such is the Sufis, the Islamic mystics who live islam (submission), iman (faith) and ishan (awareness of G-d, "to act beautifully"). Many of their teaching stories involve the humourous character Mullah Nasruddin. This is one of the most famous:
Once Nasruddin was called upon to preach a sermon. From the pulpit, he asked the congregation: "Do you know what I am going to preach about?"All Sufi stories have deeper meanings. We'll have an explanation and more next week... meanwhile, use the Comments feature to give us your explanation. What is this story really about?"No!" they replied. "In that case," said Nasruddin, "it would take too long to explain." And he went home.
Next day he ascended the pulpit and asked the same question: "Do you know what I am going to preach about?"
"Yes," the people said this time, determined to put him on the spot. "In that case," said Nasruddin, "there is no need for me to say more." And he went home.
Yet again the following day he put the same question. "Do you know what I am going to preach about?"
But now the congregation was ready to corner him. "Some of us do and some of us don't," they answered. "In that case," said Nasruddin, "let those who know tell those who don't."
National Homeland Security's conclusion: Nasruddin is an Al-Qaeda member!
Threat Condition: Ultrared
*My Answer*
Very simple. The preacher was unprepared three weeks in a row. He had failed to consult the lectionary and so did not even know what apssages were scheduled for that day. Furthermore, his ISP was down and he could not even download a sermon off the internet.
Furthermore, he had just decided to retire and the congregation couldn't do anything to him anyway.
If he were preaching in my area he would have the largest congregation of all the churches. Everyone would leave the pews where all those gas bag orators drone on for an hour or more. Those preachers know it all, no need to think for yourself. This man made people think. Check that, he's still making people think.
This strikes me as an example of an Islamic koan. It appears Nasruddin was doing several things:
1. Asking the congregation to challenge his own supposed authority. After all, if they are to submit only to Allah, why are they listening to him? Why can't they exercise their own judgment in interpreting scripture?
2. Trying to get the congregation to see beyond rules and procedures. Or, to put it in a Jewish context: What does it mean to be a Jew? Is it only following the Law and the Prophets? Analogously, what does it mean to be Muslim? Is there anything beyond merely obeying the Qur'an, and following the teachings of the Mullahs?
3. Forcing them to examine why they are at the mosque. Can worship be performed only in sacred spaces? Must prayer only be offered at the five appointed times each day?
Nasruddin wants to say the people that he has the same level of knowledge as they do. So it would be better for them to THINK and learn what they don't know from those who do know. In other words, he wants to criticise mullahs' ideology and tell the people they should think and learn by themeselves, not by someone whose knowledge is as limited as theirs.
See? He's still making people think. ,;-)
He was forcing the congregation to take a look at their habit of asking "the right" question.
"I don't know – and it's not knowable,"
He was trying to show his people they need to learn to rely on themselves and their shared knowledge rather than wait for him to tell them what they already know.
My guess is that he, like some Zen masters, simply had no interest in teaching people. But I like your explanations better.
At one time Nasruddin went to India, where he taught that all understanding was summed up in two holy words. He attracted a sizeable following.
He was approached one day by one of his old students, who complained, "You claim to be offering complete understanding, but all you are saying, in the Arabic which your following does not understand, 'I don't know' and 'nobody knows'."
Nasruddin replied, "What would you have me do instead, lie to them?"
BTW, altho the title has fallen out of favor in our circles, Nasruddin was honored as a mullah.
The Upanishad says:
"He who knows, knows not. He who knows not, knows."
The sage says:
"Liberation is illusory. The one you are looking for is the one who is looking. Abandon all seeking. Abide in that which you always already are -the touch of beingness - the knower, and all else will happen of it's accord."
Let those who know tell those who don't.
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Me & my materies, esp. working in Khandaali Evening News love these philosophical,
Humorous, sometimes ‘idiotic’, full of ‘puns’ and contradicting stories.
I think that the world would have been a much less interesting place without this great
Wise man of 13th century.
We have some characters in our Gom of Umraj, but not as wise/funny as our beloved
Friend Mullah Nasruddin.
He reminds me of …
More of the same please.
Cheers
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Prediko da Nasreddin May 03, 2003
Sri Idisti: Wo das Auge nicht sehen will, helfen weder Licht noch Brill'.
Olim Nasreddin invitesis por predikar a kongregacionani. De la katedro lu
questionis l'asistantaro: Ka vi hazarde savas to quon me esas predikonta?
"No!" li respondis. "Ta'kaze," dicis Nasreddin "bezonesas tro longa tempo
por explikor e satisfacor vi." E lu retro'iris ad'heme sen predikar vane.
Yel nexta dio lu ri'invitesis dal sama kongregaciono. De la katedro lu ya
facis la sama questiono: Ka vi havas la savo di to quon me predikos a vi?
"Yes!" klamis la populo, ca'tempe decidinta ne lasar Nasreddin irge fugar
de sua devo. "Ta'kaze," dicis Nasreddin "Me ne bezonas repetar to quon vi
ja savas." E lu retro'iris ad'heme sen predikar la mesajo por la savanti.
Yel triesma dio la kongregaciono persistante invitis Nasreddin a su ipsa.
Lore anke Nasreddin persistante facis la sama questiono a l'askoltontaro.
Tamen la kongregacionani esis sua'latere pronta akular Nasreddin dicante:
"Kelki de ni ne savas ed l'altri savas tua mesajo. Quon tu mustas facar?"
"Ta'kaze," a la populo dicis Nasreddin kun moketanta rideto sur sua labii
"lasez ti qui savas hike predikar sua mesajo a ti qui ne savas inter vi!"
E Moyshe Yehuda HOCHFELD questionis Sro Koudou la Zen-mastro sen'hema pri
ca anke enigmatoza rakonteto de Sufismo. E la mastro ridegis pos audir la
rankonteto' ed respondis a Moyshe, qua sua'latere ne trovis la signifiko:
Moyshe, onu ne darfas komprenar ca rakonteto til ke lu pasabos l'etapi di
shou3-po4-li2. E pos ke lu atingos l'ek'ireyo final di li2, lu komprenos.
Semblas a me ke Nasreddin ne prizas fatodicisti quala kartomanciisto edc.
dum ke en la mondo abundas omna'speca savisti qui pre'dicas la futuro dil
populo, qui ne savas e ma deziras savar sua fato o destino por la futuro.
Tamen la homo ne darfas savar sua futuro, pro ke la vivo originale en sua
esenco esas granda sekreto ed onu ne povas sondar la profundeso dil vivo.
Kande la homo esforcas savar sua futuro, lu perdas la posibleso dil vivo.
Onu devas renkontror sua futuro sen irga pre'judiki, se lu deziras lernar
la sekreto dil vivo por trovar la vera signifiko e posibleso di sua vivo.
Ed onu tote ne bezonas savar sua futuro por atingar sua nirvaneso, pro ke
la fato di homo sempre e violentoze chanjas segun lua disto al nirvaneso.
Adio! ......sincere via, vua ed anke tua
B.Y.T. .....Idisto ed Idiotisto pro mea nur limitizita e povra edukado
ed anke ....Ido-Kavaliero per bona oreli vice mea skarsa e povra cerebro
IdoLerneyo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/idolerneyo/
Ido-Kurso.: http://www.geocities.com/bebsonido/
Ido-Biblioteko (Sro FT).: http://es.geocities.com/krayono/publikaji.html
Toyre kumt nit b'yerushe. Onu ne heredas la lernado. (Mea Yida proverbo)
Wem nicht zu raten ist, dem ist auch nicht zu helfen. (Germana proverbo)
Mullah Nasr U-din, as a Sufi, would have held to a neoplatonic philosophy - that is that the essence of the divine is within every human soul, and only through true self-knowledge can one attain knowledge of the Godhead. Shia'ism, too, could be construed to put forward similar teachings - Hazrat Ali (pbuh) said "He who knows himself, knows God". (Socrates, who pre-dates neoplatonism, would have chipped in "Wisest is he that knows that he does not know".)
My interpretation of the kutbah is that Nasr U-din is promoting self-knowledge & introspection - that he chooses to make many of his points through humor speaks volumes of his approach to life!
Dear People:
We at Sophia Perennis have just published a new book of Nasrudin stories entitled Tales of Nasrudin: Keys to Fulfillment (paperback, 125 pages, 105 stories; $18.95; £13.50; also available in hardcover.)They were translated by Ali Jamnia; each story has commentaries by Ali Jamnia and/or Charles Daniel and/or Charles Upton (me). The commentaries do not pretend to be exhaustive -- how could they be? But they do start the ball rolling toward a greater understanding of the multidimensional quality of these tales. If you're interested in purchasing one or more copies, just get back to me. (We grant a 40% discount to resellers on orders of 5 or more.)
Sincerely,
Charles Upton, for Sophia Perennis
Sincerely,
Charles Upton