It happened once upon a time that Mullah Nasruddin was talking with some friends, and he was enjoying their company so much that without thinking he invited them to come to his house for dinner. He didn’t really expect they would accept, but to his dismay, they all thought this would be an excellent idea. Now they began to walk toward Nasruddin’s house while the Mullah twisted his brains trying to find a solution, because he knew there was nothing at all to eat at home.

When they came in sight of the Mullah’s house, Nasruddin still had not found an answer. “I’ll just go ahead and get things started,” he said to his friends. Then he sprinted ahead, went inside, slammed the door and locked it. “If anyone comes,” he said to his wife, “say I’m out.” Then he went upstairs and hid.

The friends walked on slowly, and when they came to the Mullah’s door, stood outside talking for a while. Then, thinking Nasruddin should be ready for them by now, they knocked. When there was no answer, they knocked again, and then pounded loudly on the door.

Finally, Nasruddin’s wife came out and told them that Nasruddin was not there.

“What?!” the friends shouted. “How can you say this? We walked here with him, and we saw him go inside! We demand that he let us in! Of course he is here!”

Suddenly Nasruddin popped his head out of the upstairs window. “Gentlemen, don’t disturb the whole neighbourhood. Don’t you know the house has two doors? The Mullah could have come in this door and then gone out of the other one!”