When Mulla Nasruddin fell on hard times, he made a living by transporting passengers from one bank of the river to the other in his boat.
One day the great scribe was crossing the river in his boat. He asked Nasrudin:
- Tell me, boatman, do you know the Koran? Have you studied the scriptures?
“No, I don’t have time,” Nasreddin waved him off.
“Yes, then half of your life was in vain,” said the literate man.
At this time, a hurricane hit, the small boat began to spin and drift away from the shore. The rising waves splashed over the sides, and the boat quickly filled with water. She could sink at any moment. Nasreddin asked:
- Tell me, Mr. Teacher, do you know how to swim?
That man was very frightened and was covered in cold sweat.
“No,” he admitted.
“Yes, then your whole life was in vain,” Nasreddin remarked, climbing over the side. - Well, I swam!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru