The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin - Softcover

Shah, Idries

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1784790060 ISBN 13: 9781784790066

Publisher: ISF Publishing, 2018

Synopsis

A collection of anecdotes and jokes drawn from Middle Eastern folklore and the Sufi mystical tradition, which feature the wise fool, Mulla Nasrudin.

The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin is a compendium of tales in which Nasrudin, the village bumpkin and wiseacre, reveals the antics characteristic of the human mind. In each story, the Mulla can manifest great wisdom, or supreme folly. Often enough he reveals layers of both.

Nasrudin and his stories appear in literature and oral traditions from the Arab world to China. Many nations claim Nasrudin as a native son, but nobody knows his real origins or who he was. The Sufis, who believe that deep intuition is the only real guide to knowledge, use the humorous stories of Nasrudin’s adventures to trigger breakthroughs into higher wisdom.

Since Idries Shah made Nasrudin’s genius available to mainstream Western readers, people from every walk of life have laughed at and learned from this wise fool’s memorable escapades.

About this title

About the Author

Born in 1924 into an aristocratic Afghan family, Idries Shah created a large body of literary work, most of which considered elements of ‘Eastern Thought’, especially Sufism and Sufi thought. Some of his best known works include The Sufis and several collections of teaching stories featuring Nasrudin. Shah devoted his life to collecting, selecting and translating Sufi books and key works of Sufi classical literature, adapting them to the needs of the West and disseminating them in the Occident. Called by some ‘practical philosophy’, by others ‘templates in straight thinking’ – these works represent centuries of Sufi thought and Islamic thought aimed at the development of human potential to its fullest extent. They stress virtues such as commonsense, clear-thinking and humour to counter cant and religious dogma. As such they are vital works in the area of Islamic philosophy, and may be viewed as an antidote to radicalism and fanaticism much needed in the world today. Shah’s books have been translated into dozens of languages, have sold in their millions, and are regarded as a cultural bridge between West and East. His work and contribution to Sufism are represented by The Idries Shah Foundation.

Edition details

• Publisher: ISF Publishing
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1784790060
• ISBN 13: 9781784790066
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 126