Tag archive for ‘goha stories’

Zawaj.com Humor Files: Goha Gives Thanks for Lost Donkey

Zawaj.com’s Islamic Humor Files

Joha Gives Thanks for His Lost Donkey

Editor’s Note: Some call him Goha or Joha, the Turks call him Hodja, while the Persians and Afghanis call him Mollah, Nasrullah or Mullah Nasruddin. Regardless of what you call him, this wise, mysterious and sarcastic figure has been a fixture of Middle Eastern stories for centuries.

Joha on his donkey

Joha, also known as Goha or Mullah Nasruddin

Once, Joha lost his donkey. That donkey was important to him, as it was his transportation, his means of carrying goods, and his friend. He looked for it wide and far, and everywhere he went he could be heard saying, “Alhamdulillah.” (Thanks be to God). “Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah.”

People who heard him were surprised to hear him giving thanks to God when he’d just lost his prized donkey. They said to him, “How is losing your donkey something to give thanks for?”

Joha replied, quite patiently, “I am thanking God that I was not riding the donkey when I lost it – because if I was, I would be lost as well!”

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Zawaj.com Humor Files: Goha and the Walnut Tree

Zawaj.com’s Islamic Humor Files

Goha and the Walnut Tree

Editor’s Note: Some call him Goha or Joha, the Turks call him Hodja, while the Persians and Afghanis call him Mollah, Nasrullah or Mullah Nasruddin. Regardless of what you call him, this wise, mysterious and sarcastic figure has been a fixture of Middle Eastern stories for centuries.

Black walnut tree

Black walnut tree

One day Goha was relaxing in the shade under a tall, beautiful walnut tree. As he lay on the grass, half dozing, he looked up into the high leafy canopy of the tree, and the small walnuts growing there. Then he gazed into the distance at some large pumpkins growing on the ground nearby.

He had a thought. “God, your ways are so strange,” he mused. “The little walnut gets this majestic tree, while those huge pumpkins must grow on a tiny vine. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t the small walnut have a small vine, and the great pumpkin grow on this great tree?”

Suddenly a walnut fell from the tree and smacked him in the forehead. Goha jumped to his feet and raised his hands to the sky. “O God,” he said, “I will never question your wisdom again. Imagine if that had been a pumpkin!”

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Zawaj.com Humor Files: The Old Man, the Little Boy and the Donkey

Man riding a donkey.

A Palestinian native of Bethlehem on his Donkey. This color photochrome print was created between 1890 and 1900 in West Bank.

The Old Man, the Little Boy and the Donkey

Goha and his small grandson were on the way to market. Goha had a bad hip, so he rode their donkey while the little boy walked beside him. Presently they passed some women on their way home from the market. One of the women said, “Look at that old man riding while his little grandson walks. He has no compassion for the young. Shameful!”

Goha heard this and felt embarrassed, so he said to his grandson, “You must be tired. Why don’t you ride for a while, and I will walk?”

Presently they passed some elderly men who were sitting around drinking coffee and playing backgammon. One of them said, “Look at that boy riding, while his old grandfather limps. Were is the respect for the elders? That boy has been badly raised.”

Again Goha felt embarrassed. He said, “Let’s ride together for a while.” So they both rode the donkey.

Soon they passed a man in religious robes who said to them, “Salam my friends. Don’t you know that even animals have rights in Islam? You are burdening that poor animal with your combined weight.”

Finally Goha decided that they would both walk, in order to give the donkey some rest. They both trudged along beside the donkey, the old man limping and the boy complaining that his feet hurt. As they passed a group of young men who were loitering and watching passers-by, one of the men exclaimed, “Look at those fools walking while they have a perfectly good donkey! Are they afraid of heights?” And all the young men laughed.

The moral is clear: Altering your behavior to please other people is futile. No matter what you do, someone will always find fault. Do what you feel is right, and stick to it.

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Zawaj.com Humor Files: Goha is Asked to Pray for Rain

A young child holds an umbrella as Kashmiri Muslim pilgrims pray in the rain in Srinagar, Kashmir.

Editor’s Note: Some call him Goha or Joha, the Turks call him Hodja, while the Perisans call him Mollah or Nasrullah. Regardless of what you call him, this wise, mysterious and sarcastic figure has been a fixture of Middle Eastern stories for centuries.

Goha is Asked to Pray for Rain

There was a terrible drought. After a long deliberation, the villagers decided to approach Goha, who was known to work miracles on occasion, and ask for his intervention in bringing the rain.

The whole community went over to Goha’s hut and the elders stated their request.

“Sorry”, said Goha. “There will be no miracle because you have no faith.”

“But Goha, how can you say that?” said the villagers. “After all, is it not our faith that brought us to your door, begging for help?

“If you really had faith,” said Goha, “You would have come with umbrellas.”

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