Nasreddin Hodja was the imam at the time. One day, the people of Aksehir saw the Hodja tying a rope around the minaret of the mosque, and fastening it to the trunk of a large tree.
`Hodja Effendi, what are you doing?' they asked, totally baffled.
`I am securing the minaret,' the Hodja said, `so that nobody can steal it overnight.' The passers by were incredulous. They tried to reason with the Hodja.
`Hodja Effendi, if someone stole the minaret, where would he put it?'
`One who steals a minaret, prepares its case ahead of time!'
This story is the origin of the Turkish proverb minareyi calan kilifini hazirlar (one who steals a minaret, prepares its case), cited to mean "if you are going to commit a crime you must think of its consequences ahead of time" or "if you are going to undertake a big project, you must plan it well".