The Wise Man !

Once, Nasreddin Hodja (Hojja Mulla), needing some firewood, climbed a tree by the roadside and began cutting the branch he was sitting on.

Seeing this, a passerby called out, "Hey, friend! You are cutting the very branch you are sitting on! You are going to fall down!"

Hodja got annoyed and angry, dismissing him: "Are you God to tell me that I'm going to fall?"

The stranger said nothing and walked on.

Just a few moments later, the branch Hodja was cutting, along with Hodja himself, crashed to the ground!

Immediately, Hodja scrambled up and ran after the man who had warned him. When he caught up, he exclaimed, "Whoa! Your power of prophecy is unbelievable. Please tell me when I am going to die!"

The traveler simply said, "I don't know that."

But Hodja pestered him continuously, running after him. Finally, the traveler, fed up, just said, "You will die right now!"

The instant he heard that, Hodja fainted and fell to the ground! The frightened traveler shouted loudly and gathered a crowd.

Believing Hodja had died, the people lifted him and started carrying him toward the cremation ground. On the way, as the pallbearers were unsure of the exact route, they stopped at a junction and started arguing amongst themselves.

Different people suggested different directions. When the argument got really heated, Hodja opened his eyes and announced, "When I was alive, I always used the western road to go to the crematorium!"

Suddenly, hearing the 'corpse' speak, the people dropped Hodja immediately and ran away in all directions!