One day Nasreddin Hodja was walking on the street when a total stranger came up to him and slapped him on the back of his neck. The Hodja demanded some kind of rectification. But the man was unapologetic. He had thought the Hodja was a good friend of his, whom he was accustomed to greeting with such a gesture.
“It is not an incidence of great significance, Effendi,” he said to the Hodja, “I thought you were my friend, I shouldn’t be paying for such a small mistake.” Nasreddin Hodja was not convinced. He was wronged and he demanded to receive damages. Since the discussion was going nowhere, they decided to consult the kadı. However, unbeknownst to the Hodja, the man and the kadı were friends.
The kadı listened to them both. Although it looked like the Hodja was right, the kadı was still determined to get his friend out of this without having to pay a penalty.
“Hodja Efendi is right,” the kadı said, winking to his friend, “you have to pay him a gold coin.” The friend, reassured with the kadı’s wink, said that he didn’t have a gold coin on him but if they waited a few minutes, he would go and get it. The kadı allowed him to go fetch the money and Nasreddin Hodja started to wait. After waiting quite a while, and recalling the familiarity between the kadı and the man, the Hodja figured out that he was tricked and that the man was never going to come back. He approached the kadı and startled him with a forceful slap on the back of his neck.
“Hodja Efendi, what did you do that for?” the kadı said in pain.
“Kadı Effendi, I am a little late for my errands, I can’t wait any longer. When the man comes back, you take the gold coin!”
