It happened once upon a time that Mullah Nasruddin was sitting in a tea house when someone came to him and asked a question : “Mullah, according to religious teachings, which is more important – the sun, or the moon?”

The Mullah was not surprised by this question – he was quite accustomed to the unpredictable thoughts that his fellow townspeople could squeeze from their brains (perhaps as a consequence of many cups of tea). Stroking his beard thoughtfully, he raised his eyes heavenward for a moment, and then said firmly, “The moon.”

“And on what doctrine do you justify this statement?”

“I justify it,” Nasruddin replied, ” by the law of necessity. That which we need the most is obviously of the greatest value.”

“And why do we need the moon more?”

“Brother,” Nasruddin said pityingly, “Is it not obvious? In the day we see very well. We do not need the sun. But at night it is dark – if there were no moon, we would be helpless.”