Jahan -- Ġaħan

 

 

Who is from Malta and is unaware of Jahan?  From childhood, at some point in learning the language or Maltese literature, the fable of Jahan and his door is read, usually ending up with a class roaring with laughter!  The first time you'd hear it would probably conjure the thought “but really how simple could he be not to understand what his mother had in mind when instructing this child character to pull the door behind him” (a play on words in Maltese, usually meaning to close it).

 

If you hadn't heard this at school, you'd surely hear it in other locations, as it's a popular joke for someone, before leaving the house, be told to “do like Jahan”.

 

It's a sweet, timeless story.  Some years ago I was teaching Maltese to some students, and was using a text book from Victor Vella which did not fail to have the story.1  I can't forget the reaction of the students which really appreciated it, especially one called Carol who often reminds me of it until today.

 

In fact, this story is just one of many based on the life and philosophy of Nasreddin Hodja.  He was Turkish living in the thirteenth century, born in Sivrihisar and dying in Aksehir, in Turkey.  After a period of study, Nasreddin became a Muslim imam and even a magistrate in the Sharia court.2

 

Nasreddin had a sense of humour, optimism and sarcasm, and with courage used to talk about injustices and dishonesty.  There are thousands of stories and fables somehow linked to him, and it's impossible that these all came out of his mouth or his pen.

 

In fact, there are several traditions build around this personality.  In the Mediterranean, stories tied to a simple child can be found in Tuscany (Giucca), in Sicily (Giufà), in Calabria (Iogà) and Sardinia (Giafà), with the stories of the Maltese Jahan resembling most closely those of Sicily.3  It is possible that Jahan's character arrived in Malta with the Arabs who went there from Sicitly, or else directly from the Islamic world which refers to him as Joha, Jiha or Hoga.4

 

Nasreddin's tradition is not limited geographically to the mentioned regions, but extends to others in the Mediterranean like Greece and Albania, in the Middle East like Persia (Iran), Armenia, Azerbaijan and amongs the Kurds, and in Asia (Russia, China, India and Indonesia).5  With this person's thoughts and message widespread to this extent, one could understand how traditions of his stories could have been built and developed into the multitude that can be found today, and also how other traditions exist about where he came from.

 

Not all stories are about someone being simple or foolish.  Consider this short story, which has some wisdom:6

 

Nasreddin was taking some grapes to market on a donkey.  Groups of children pleaded with him for some grapes, but he only gave them a few each.  They complained to him “how miserly you are!”  “Not at all”, he responded.  “I'm doing so as all grapes have the same taste.  If you taste one, you know what taste each one has.  Therefore having one or having many has the same outcome.”

 

Indeed, there is much to be learnt from Jahan!

 

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Min hu Malti u ma semax b'Ġaħan?  Mit-tfulija, f'xi waqt mit-tagħlim tal-lingwa jew il-letteratura Maltija tiġi moqrija l-ħrafa ta' Ġaħan u l-bieb, li tispiċċa taqsam lill-klassi kollha bid-daħq!  Aktarx jgħaddi minn moħħok meta tismagħha l-ewwel darba “imma kemm trid tkun sempliċi biex ma tifhimx x'riedet tgħidlu ommu lil dan il-karattru tfajjel, meta qaltlu biex jiġbed il-bieb warajh”?

 

Jekk ma tkunx smajtha l-iskola, żgur tisma' fuqha f'bnadi oħra, għax hija ċajta popolari meta xi ħadd, qabel ma titlaq mid-dar, jgħidulu “agħmel bħal Ġaħan”.

 

L-istorja hija ħelwa u ma tixjieħ qatt.  Ftit snin ilu kont qed ngħallem il-Malti lil xi studenti, u kont qed nuża ktieb ta' Victor Vella li ma naqasx li kellu dan ir-rakkont1.  Ma nistax ninsa r-reazzjoni tal-istudenti li apprezzawh ma ngħidilkomx kemm, speċjalment waħda jisimgħa Carol li ġieli għadha tfakkarhieli sal-lum.

 

Fil-fatt, dan ir-rakkont huwa biss wieħed minn ħafna rakkonti bbażati fuq il-ħajja u l-filosofija ta' Nasreddin Hodja.  Dan kien persunaġġ Tork li għex fis-seklu tlettax, imwieled f'Sivrihisar u miet f'Aksehir, fit-Turkija.  Wara perjodu ta' studju, Nasreddin kien sar imam Musulman u anki magistrat tal-qorti tax-Xarija.2

 

Nasreddin kellu sens ta' umoriżmu, ottimiżmu u sarkażmu, u b'kuraġġ kien jitkellem fuq l-inġustizzji u d-diżonestà.  Hemm eluf ta' stejjer u ħrejjef li huma marbutin b'xi mod miegħu, u huwa impossibbli li dawn kollha kienu intqalu jew inkitbu minnu.

 

Fil-fatt, hemm diversi tradizzjonijiet mibnija madwar dan il-persunaġġ.  Fil-Mediterran, stejjer marbutin ma' tfajjel sempliċi nsibuhom fit-Toskana (Giucca), fi Sqallija (Giufà), fil-Kalabrija (Iogà) u Sardinja (Giafà), bl-istejjer ta' Ġaħan ta' Malta jixbħu l-iktar dawk ta' Sqallija.3  Huwa possibbli li l-karattru ta' Ġaħan wasal Malta meta marru hemmhekk l-Għarab minn Sqallija, jew inkella direttament mid-dinja Iżlamika li tirreferi għalih bħala Ġoħa, Ġiħa jew Ħoġa.4

 

It-tradizzjoni ta' Nasreddin mhix limitata ġeografikament għar-reġjuni msemmija, imma wkoll f'oħrajn tal-Mediterran bħall-Greċja u l-Albanija, fil-Lvant Nofsani bħall-Persja (Iran), l-Armenja, l-Ażerbajġan u fost il-Kurdi, u fl-Asja (ir-Russja, iċ-Ċina, l-Indja u l-Indonesja).5  B'firxa tant wiesgħa tal-messaġġ u l-ħsieb ta' dan il-bniedem, wieħed jista' jifhem kif tradizzjonijiet ta' stejjer tiegħu setgħu nbnew u żviluppaw fil-kotra l-kbira li jinsabu llum, u anke kif tradizzonijiet oħra jeżistu ta' minn fejn kien.

 

Mhux l-istejjer kollha huma ta' wieħed sempliċi jew iblah.  Ikkunsidraw din l-istorja qasira, li fiha daqsxejn għaqal:6

 

Nasreddin kien qed jieħu l-għeneb lejn is-suq fuq ħmar.  Gruppi ta' tfal żgħar talbuh bil-ħniena għall-għeneb, imma hu tahom biss ftit kull wieħed.  Għajtulu “kemm inti xħiħ!”  “Lanqas xejn” weġibhom.  “Qed nagħmel hekk għax l-għeneb kollha l-istess jintogħmu.  Jekk idduq waħda, tkun taf x'togħma għandhom kollha.  Għalhekk xorta waħda jekk tieħu waħda jew tieħu ħafna.”

 

Tassew, hemm x'titgħallem minn Ġaħan!

 

 

 

1Weraq - Kors fl-Ilsien Malti; It-Tieni Ktieb; Victor Vella; 1991; p64

2Malta's Philosophy & Philosophers; Mark Montebello; 2011; p22

3Ħrejjef ta' Ġaħan u Stejjer Oħra; L-Ewwel Volum; maqlubin bil-Malti minn Ġużè Chetcuti mit-Taljan ta' Aldo Farini; Fiabe, Tradizioni e Leggende Maltesi; 1997; p137

4Ibid., p13

5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasreddin, retrieved 22/9/2020

6The exploits of the incomparable Mulla Nasrudin; Idries Shah; 1985; p60; available at https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780863040405/page/60/mode/2up

1Weraq - Kors fl-Ilsien Malti; It-Tieni Ktieb; Victor Vella; 1991; p64

2Malta's Philosophy & Philosophers; Mark Montebello; 2011; p22

3Ħrejjef ta' Ġaħan u Stejjer Oħra; L-Ewwel Volum; maqlubin bil-Malti minn Ġużè Chetcuti mit-Taljan ta' Aldo Farini; Fiabe, Tradizioni e Leggende Maltesi; 1997; p137

4Ibid., p13

5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasreddin, retrieved 22/9/2020

6The exploits of the incomparable Mulla Nasrudin; Idries Shah; 1985; p60; available at https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780863040405/page/60/mode/2up