A Tale of Nasrudin

In the middle of the night, Mullah Nasrudin wakes up terribly thirsty.

It’s cold and dark outside, and it’s a bit of a walk to the well, so the Mullah hastily winds a turban around his head and finds a lamp to carry with him. The lamp is empty, and while he’s trying to fill it in the dark, he spills some lamp oil, which he sleepily wipes up with the trailing end of his poorly-wrapped turban.

The Mullah has some trouble getting the lamp lit, and leans in close to see the wick better. The oil-soaked end of his turban catches fire. The Mullah, after racing around the room screaming for a while, has the presence of mind to run into the backyard, fling the turban to the ground, and stamp on it.

The Mullah’s wife, awakened by the commotion, comes out and sees the Mullah jumping up and down on his turban. "Nasrudin!" she cries, "What on earth are you doing?"

"Getting a drink of water," says the Mullah.