Tag archive for ‘joha’
Goha, His Son and the Donkey
A Palestinian native of Bethlehem on his Donkey. This color photochrome print was created between 1890 and 1900 in the West Bank.
Zawaj.com Humor Files
Goha and his son were on their way to a nearby village. The son rode their donkey while Goha walked alongside. On the way they passed some people who pointed at Goha and his son. “Look at that ungrateful boy, they said.” He is riding the donkey and his poor old father is walking.”
When he heard this, Goha said, “You get off the donkey and I’ll ride.” Soon they passed another group of people who said, “Look at that heartless man. He is riding the donkey and his poor young son is walking,”
Goha thought about this. “Get on the donkey, we’ll both ride it,” he said. Again Goha and his son passed by some people who pointed at them. “Look at those people abusing that poor donkey. How cruel,” they said.
Goha thought about this as well. “Let’s both get off the donkey,” he said to his son, and so they both walked alongside it. The people they passed by looked at pointed. This time they said, “Look at those fools, walking along when they have a donkey they could ride!”
After some thought, Goha said, “I have a good idea. We’ll carry it!” As they walked on another group of people looked at them staggering under the weight of the donkey. They pointed. “Look at those fools,” they said. “They are carrying a donkey instead of riding it!”
Goha turned to his son and said, “See, my son, how hard it is to please everyone?”
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
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!”
Zawaj.com Humor Files: The Old Man, the Little Boy and the 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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Goha, His Son and the Donkey
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Zawaj.com Humor Files: Goha and the Walnut Tree
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Zawaj.com Humor Files: The Old Man, the Little Boy and the Donkey
