Nasrudin was walking through the desert and spotted a foreign holy man. Nasrudin introduced himself, and the holy man said, “I am a mystic devoted to the appreciation of all life forms—especially birds.”
“Oh, wonderful,” Nasrudin replied. “I am a Mulla, and I would like to visit with you for a while so we can share teachings. And guess what—a bird saved my life once!”
Delighted to hear this, the mystic agreed to share company with Nasrudin. As they shared their teachings, the mystic constantly asked to hear about how a bird saved Nasrudin’s life, but each time Nasrudin refused to tell the story.
One day, after the mystic pleaded and pleaded to hear the story, Nasrudin finally agreed.
“OK, here is how the bird saved my life,” Nasrudin began explaining while the mystic intently listened. “One day about six years ago, crossing a desert much like this, I found myself stranded alone without shelter or food. I was about to starve to death, until I caught a bird and ate it.”