While in the famous city of Samarkand, Nasrudin went to hear the teachings of the Imam of the principal mosque. In the middle of the most eloquent address, the great man suddenly roared: “Get away, you mangy cur!” He then continued the sermon as if nothing had happened.

Afterward, Nasrudin approached the Imam. “That was surely the most uplifting lecture I have been honored enough to hear,” he said, kissing the priest’s hand. “But dare I ask why you interrupted the speech halfway through?”

“Simple,” replied the Imam. “So close am I to all things holy that I saw quite clearly the vision of a stray dog approaching the Kaaba in Mecca. Naturally, I took it upon myself to frighten the unclean animal away.”

Some months later, the same Imam passed by Nasrudin’s small town. The Mulla quickly invited everyone he knew to dinner to mark the arrival of such a revered man. When the food arrived, Nasrudin served his guests with chicken and rice, except for the Imam, to whom he served an enormous plate of lamb pulao. So as not to offend the other diners, he had hidden the meat under a layer of rice.
Presented with a dish of meatless pulao the affronted guest of honor refused the food.

“How extraordinary,” observed the Mulla. “Our esteemed guest has the vision to see a dog approach the Kaaba, but cannot detect a layer of lamb hidden under rice!”