Nasreddin (/næsˈrɛdɪn/) or Nasreddin Hodja (variants include Mullah Nasreddin Hodja, Nasruddin Hodja, Mullah Nasruddin, Mullah Nasriddin, Khoja Nasriddin) (
But it is inherent in a Nasreddin story that it may be understood at many levels.
riding donkey backwards
Some people say that, whilst uttering what seemed madness, he was, in reality, divinely inspired, and that it was not madness but wisdom that he uttered. — The Turkish Jester or The Pleasantries of Cogia Nasr Eddin Effendi1
I have loved no one as I have loved Nasruddin. He is one of the men who has brought religion and laughter together; otherwise, they have always stood back to back. Nasruddin forced them to drop their old enmity and become friends, and when religion and laughter meet, when meditation laughs, and when laughter meditates, the miracle happens… the miracle of all miracles" - Osho, Books I Have Loved