Nasruddin (also known as Nasreddin Hodja or Mullah Nasruddin) was a legendary 13th-century Sufi philosopher, satirist and wise-fool character found in folklore across the Middle East, Central Asia and along the Silk Road.
Nasruddin had been working in the fields all day.
He was tired and sweaty, and his clothes and boots were caked in mud.
That evening, the wealthiest man in town was holding a huge feast, and everyone in the village was invited.
Nasruddin knew he would be late if he went home to change first. He decided that arriving in dirty clothes was better than arriving late.
As he walked to the rich man’s house, he imagined the delicious food he would soon be eating. His stomach began to rumble.
When Nasruddin arrived, the host opened the door and looked him up and down with scorn, from his worn, ragged clothes to his muddy boots.
“You can’t come in dressed like that,” the man said, and shut the door.
Nasruddin hurried home and changed into his finest clothing, including a beautiful coat.
When he returned to the feast, the host welcomed him with a huge smile.
“Come in, come in!”
As Nasruddin entered, guests waved and called to him from every corner of the room. They invited him to sit with them and offered him food.
Nasruddin sat down quietly.
He picked up a plump fig and carefully placed it in his coat pocket. Next, he took a handful of nuts and put them in the pocket too.
He kept going until his pockets were full. Then he began stuffing food into his sleeves.
Soon the whole room was staring at him, wondering what he was doing.
The host hurried over. “Nasruddin, whatever are you doing? Why are you stuffing food into your coat?”
“Well,” replied Nasruddin, “when I first came to this feast in my old farming clothes, I was not welcome. You shut the door in my face.
“But when I changed into this coat, suddenly I was greeted warmly.
“So I realised it was not me who was welcome at this party, but my clothes. And so I am feeding my coat.”