أمثال عربية مشهورة

رُبَّ ضارّةٍ نافعة

A harm may well turn out to be a benefit.

What looks like harm on its surface may carry a hidden benefit — the Arabic equivalent of “a blessing in disguise.” Said in consolation when an apparent setback turns out for the best.

A classical proverb recorded in al-Maydānī’s 12th-century compendium Majmaʿ al-Amthāl; its sense echoes Qurʾan 2:216.

مجمع الأمثال للميداني — Majmaʿ al-Amthāl · cf. Qurʾan 2:216

الصبرُ مفتاحُ الفرج

Patience is the key to relief.

Whoever endures hardship reaches relief — patience is the door through which the way out of difficulty opens. Said to steady someone whose trial has dragged on.

A famous Arabic saying whose sense is well supported by scripture on patience, but the phrase itself is a proverb — not an authenticated hadith, though often quoted as one.

الطيورُ على أشكالها تقع

Birds land with their own kind.

People gravitate to those who resemble them in character — know a person by their companions. Used, in praise or reproach, of friends who mirror each other; the exact counterpart of “birds of a feather flock together.”

A common proverbial saying with no named author, with near-literal parallels in many languages.

القرد في عين أمه غزال

In his mother’s eye, the monkey is a gazelle.

Love beautifies its object until the flaws disappear — a mother sees her child as the most beautiful of creatures regardless. Said, usually playfully, of the heart’s bias toward those it loves.

A widespread Egyptian colloquial proverb from the inherited folk tradition, with no named author.

يدٌ واحدةٌ لا تُصفِّق

One hand cannot clap.

No great undertaking stands on one person — cooperation is the condition of achievement, just as applause cannot come from a single hand. Said to urge working together.

A common proverb on the need for cooperation, with near-identical forms in many languages.

الصديقُ وقتَ الضِّيق

A friend is for the time of hardship.

True friendship proves itself in hard times, not in easy ones — whoever stands by you in your straits is the real friend. Said when adversity tests friendships and sorts them out.

A classic proverb built on the rhyme between ṣadīq (friend) and ḍīq (hardship). It belongs to the common proverbial tradition with no named author, and has close parallels in many cultures — the English “a friend in need is a friend indeed.”

إذا كان الكلامُ من فضّةٍ فالسكوتُ من ذهب

If speech is silver, then silence is gold.

A well-judged word is valuable, but silence in its right place is worth more — many a remark caused harm that saying nothing would have spared. Said in praise of holding back speech where speaking serves no purpose.

A maxim shared across cultures. Some Arabic sources associate it with al-Jāḥiẓ (9th c.), but the ascription is not firmly established; an Aramaic parallel appears in the Talmud, and the European form was popularized in English by Thomas Carlyle in the 1830s.

العدلُ أساسُ المُلك

Justice is the foundation of rule.

Rule endures through justice and comes apart through injustice — fairness is a foundation, not a decoration. Said of statecraft and of a ruler’s duty to deal equitably.

A famous Arabic-Islamic maxim of statecraft that circulates as a proverb and is a recurring theme of the “mirrors for princes” literature (adab sulṭānī). It is neither a Qurʾanic verse nor a prophetic hadith, though its meaning is rooted in the Islamic emphasis on justice and echoes Ibn Khaldūn’s argument that injustice heralds the ruin of civilization.

مَن جَدَّ وَجَد

Whoever strives, finds.

Whoever puts in real effort attains what he seeks — the harvest matches the labour. Said to urge hard work, and among the first maxims Arab children are taught.

A classic educational proverb built on the chime between jadda (strives) and wajada (finds). It belongs to the proverbial tradition with no single named author and is usually paired with “whoever walks the path arrives.”

الوقتُ كالسيف، إن لم تَقطعْه قَطَعَك

Time is like a sword: if you do not cut it, it cuts you.

Time never stops: either you turn it to your benefit or your idleness in it destroys you — like a sword, there is no middle ground between cutting and being cut. Said about seizing one’s life rather than squandering it.

A maxim on seizing time, most often attributed to Imam al-Shāfiʿī and cited in this sense by Ibn al-Qayyim; the ascription is debated and it is not a prophetic hadith. The wording reported from him is “Time is a sword — cut it, or it cuts you.”

العينُ بصيرةٌ واليدُ قصيرة

The eye sees, but the hand is short.

A person sees what he longs for and knows what ought to be done, then lacks the means to reach it. Said of the frustration of aspiring to what one cannot afford or achieve.

A well-known proverb from the inherited Arabic tradition, with no identifiable author.

مَن سار على الدربِ وصل

Whoever keeps to the road arrives.

Persisting on the right road brings you to the destination even if it takes longer — what counts is continuing, not speed. Said to encourage someone who has grown weary of a long effort.

A proverb of perseverance from the common tradition with no named author; its familiar companion is “whoever strives, finds.”

لكلِّ جوادٍ كَبْوة

Every fine steed has its stumble.

Even the accomplished and gifted trip once — a passing lapse does not cancel a strong record. Said in making allowance for a capable person who has slipped, and against judging anyone by a single fall.

An old Arabic proverb from the common tradition, frequently quoted with its continuation, “and every keen blade has its miss.”

خيرُ الكلامِ ما قلَّ ودلّ

The best speech is what is few in words and clear in sense.

The best expression packs much meaning into few words; padding buries the point and tires the listener. Said in praise of eloquent concision and in reproach of verbosity.

A maxim from the common Arabic tradition praising concision. It is not traceable to a named author, and it is not a prophetic hadith.

مَن حَفَرَ حُفرةً لأخيه وقع فيها

Whoever digs a pit for his brother falls into it himself.

Whoever plots a trap for another ends up caught in it — scheming rebounds on the schemer. Said as a warning against treachery, and as reassurance to the wronged that a plotter meets his own device.

A common proverb, not a prophetic hadith. Its sense is close to the Qurʾanic statement that “evil plotting befalls only its own authors” (Qurʾan 35:43).

القناعةُ كنزٌ لا يَفنى

Contentment is a treasure that never runs out.

Whoever is satisfied with his portion is already rich — wealth is contentment of soul rather than abundance of money, and it is a store that never empties. Said in praise of being satisfied and against greed.

A famous saying in praise of contentment whose attribution varies across sources, so it runs as common proverbial tradition. It is not an authenticated hadith, although it is often passed around as one.

مَن شَبَّ على شيءٍ شابَ عليه

Whoever grows up with something grows old with it.

What a person becomes used to in youth is hard to leave behind in age — habit hardens into nature. Said of how deeply habits take root, and of how much what is planted early matters.

An old Arabic proverb from the common tradition, with no identifiable author.

الجارَ قبل الدارِ

Choose the neighbour before the house.

Ask about the neighbours before you buy a place or move into it — a bad neighbour spoils the finest house. Said of weighing company and surroundings ahead of the property itself.

A common Arabic proverb about choosing one’s neighbours, frequently quoted alongside “the companion before the road.”

أوّلُ الغيثِ قَطْرة

The first of the rain is a single drop.

A small beginning can be the opening of much more to come, just as the first drop announces heavy rain. Usually said in encouragement — what has appeared so far is a little of a great deal on the way — but it is used ominously too: this is only the start, and more follows.

An old Arabic proverb from the common tradition, not attributed to any named author.

اطلبوا العلمَ من المَهدِ إلى اللَّحد

Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.

Learning has no age limit and no end point: it begins with the first stirrings of awareness and does not stop before the end of life. Said to urge continuous study at every stage.

A famous saying whose sense is sound and admirable — but it is not a prophetic hadith, contrary to how it is very often quoted. It is not established in the recognized hadith collections; it circulates as a common saying.

خيرُ جليسٍ في الزمانِ كتاب

The best of companions in all time is a book.

No companion is more rewarding than a book: it does not tire of you or betray you, and it never stops giving. Quoted in praise of reading, and of the company of books over much human company.

The second half of a famous line by Abū al-Ṭayyib al-Mutanabbī (10th c.): “The noblest place in the world is the saddle of a swift horse / and the best of companions in all time is a book.” The hemistich itself opens with the conjunction wa-, which drops away when it is quoted as a proverb. It is attributable verse, not an anonymous proverb, though it has long circulated as one.

ديوان المتنبّي — Dīwān al-Mutanabbī

جَزاءُ سِنِمّار

The reward of Sinimmār.

Said of someone repaid for his good work with the ugliest recompense. In Arab lore Sinimmār was the builder who raised a palace for al-Nuʿmān and was thrown from its top so he could never build its like for anyone else. Used of rank ingratitude — kindness answered with injury.

An old Arabic proverb built on a story preserved in the lore and proverb literature; the details of the tale vary between sources, while the proverb itself is long-established.

الطول طول نخلة والعقل عقل صخلة

As tall as a palm tree, with the brains of a goat kid.

Said of someone whose body has grown up while his judgement has not — the height of a palm tree with the sense of a young goat. Used mockingly of a person who is large on the outside and small in his thinking.

A folk proverb current in Najd and the Arabian Peninsula, and widely used across the Gulf.

اللي يبغى العسل يصبر على قرص النحل

Whoever wants the honey must put up with the bees’ stings.

Whoever wants something good must bear the hardship that comes with it — what is desirable is never had for free. Said to urge patience with the cost of reaching a goal.

A folk proverb current in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, with close variants in other Arab countries.

الجود من الموجود

Generosity comes out of what one has.

Generosity is measured by giving what you actually have rather than by how much you give — someone who offers out of little has been generous. Said in apology for a modest table, and in praise of a host who gives according to his means.

A folk proverb current in Saudi Arabia, the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf, and in circulation throughout the rest of the Arab world.

مد رجولك على قد لحافك

Stretch your legs only as far as your blanket reaches.

Spend and act within the limits of what you actually have; do not take on what your means cannot carry, because overreaching exposes the person who does it. Said to urge thrift and a clear sense of one’s own limits.

A folk proverb current throughout the Arab world, each country having its own wording; this is the form used in Najd and the Gulf.

اللي ما يشوف من المنخل أعمى

Whoever cannot see through a sieve is blind.

Anyone who misses something as plain as what shows through a sieve has the problem in himself, not in the matter. Said in astonishment at a person who overlooks — or pretends not to see — what is obvious to everyone.

A folk proverb current in the UAE and widely used across the Gulf.

من فات قديمه تاه

Whoever leaves his past behind loses his way.

Whoever discards his origins and inherited ways loses the reference point that guides him — the present is built on what came before. Said about holding on to one’s roots and sound customs rather than cutting loose from them.

A folk proverb current in the UAE and the Gulf.

اللي ما يعرف الصقر يشويه

Whoever does not know what a falcon is will grill it.

Someone ignorant of a thing’s value degrades it and puts it to the wrong use: a man who does not know the falcon and its standing treats it as a bird for the pot. Said of the ignorant mishandling what is precious, and of a person who fails to appreciate who is in front of him.

One of the best-known folk proverbs in circulation across the Gulf. More than one Gulf country claims it as its own, and we do not favour any single attribution.

إذا طاح الجمل كثرت سكاكينه

When the camel falls, the knives around it multiply.

When the strong weaken or a person of standing falls, everyone who wants a piece of him crowds in. Said of how people abandon the fallen and race for whatever is left of him.

A folk proverb current in the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula; it is also told with waqaʿa (“fell”) in place of the colloquial ṭāḥa.

طاح الفاس بالراس

The axe has fallen on the head.

The blow has landed and there is no room left to manoeuvre: what happened is now a fact that cannot be taken back. Said when matters reach their limit and the irreversible has occurred.

A folk proverb current in the Gulf.

مثل الأطرش بالزفة

Like the deaf man in the wedding procession.

Said of someone physically present at an occasion while understanding none of it, like a deaf man in a wedding procession who sees the movement but hears no music. Used of a person taking part in body only, and usually said in jest.

A folk proverb current in Iraq, and in circulation elsewhere in the Arab world too.

آني أمير وأنت أمير ومنو يسوق الحمير

I am a prince and you are a prince — so who is going to drive the donkeys?

If everyone insists on being the one who gives the orders, no one is left to do the work, and things stall under a surplus of chiefs. Said in reproach of squabbling over leadership and dodging the labour — and it is usually quoted mockingly.

A folk proverb current in Iraq.

الجايات أحسن من الرايحات

What is coming is better than what has gone.

What is still ahead of you in life and in opportunity is better than what has already passed, so do not linger in regret. Said in consolation and in optimism to someone who has suffered a loss.

A folk proverb current in Iraq and in common use in the Gulf as well.

منو يشهد للعروس؟ أمها وخالتها

Who vouches for the bride? Her mother and her aunt.

Testimony from interested parties is worth nothing: the people praising the bride are her closest relatives, from whom nothing but praise was ever going to come. Said in dismissal of praise that comes from kin or from anyone with a stake in it.

A folk proverb current in Iraq in this wording, and known throughout the Arab world in close variants that differ in the question word used.

الديك الفصيح من البيضة يصيح

The eloquent cockerel crows from inside the egg.

Real ability shows itself early: whoever has something in him gives a sign of it from childhood. Said in praise of someone whose gifts appeared ahead of time.

A folk proverb current in Iraq and elsewhere in the Arab world.

كمُجيرِ أمِّ عامر

Like the man who gave refuge to Umm ʿĀmir.

Said of a man who was good to someone undeserving and was repaid with injury. Umm ʿĀmir is the Arabs’ byname for the hyena, and the story tells of a man who sheltered one from hunters and gave it water, whereupon it turned on him. Used of ingratitude — a favour answered with treachery.

An old Arabic proverb resting on a story recorded in the proverb literature; its details differ between tellings, while the proverb itself is long-established.

اعمل الخير وارميه في البحر

Do good and throw it into the sea.

Do good without waiting for thanks or return, even when it looks wasted on the person who received it. Said to urge kindness for its own sake, and to stop weighing up whether the recipient deserves it.

A folk proverb current in Egypt, and in circulation throughout the Arab world in close variants such as “do good and cast it into the sea.” The sense recorded for it in the sources is unconditional generosity, not a complaint about ingratitude.

باب النجار مخلَّع

The carpenter’s own door is off its hinges.

A craftsman may neglect his own affairs while doing the same work perfectly for others, so the carpenter’s door ends up the one most in need of repair. Said of someone who falls short at home, in the very thing he is best able to do.

A folk proverb current in Egypt, and in circulation elsewhere in the Arab world too.

التلم الأعوج من الثور الكبير

The crooked furrow comes from the big ox.

When a group’s affairs go wrong, look at whoever leads it: a fault at the top shows up in everything beneath it. The image is usually explained from ploughing — pair a large ox with a smaller one and it drags the plough its own way, so the furrow comes out crooked. Said in placing responsibility where the decisions are.

A rural folk proverb current in the Levant. It is transmitted with al-thalm or al-khaṭṭ in place of al-talm, and it is in circulation elsewhere in the Arab world too.

خبّي قرشك الأبيض ليومك الأسود

Put your white coin away for your black day.

Save something out of your plenty for your hard times: what you set aside today spares you need tomorrow. Said to urge thrift, and against spending freely merely because money happens to be available.

A folk proverb current in the Levant and known throughout the Arab world in close variants such as “keep your white coin for your black day.”

تيتي تيتي متل ما رحتي متل ما جيتي

Tītī, Tītī — you came back just as you went.

All the effort went nowhere and the person ended up exactly where he began. Said of an undertaking surrounded by a great deal of talk and bustle that produced no result at all.

A folk proverb current in the Levant, and equally current in Egypt, Iraq and the Gulf in close variants. Conflicting folk explanations are given for the word tītī, and we do not endorse any of them.

ابعد عن الشر وغنّي له

Keep away from trouble — and sing to it.

It is not enough to refrain from trouble — get far enough from it to be at ease. Said to urge avoiding quarrels and troublesome situations altogether, and there is a well-liked wryness in how it is put.

A folk proverb current in the Levant, and in circulation throughout the rest of the Arab world.

اللي فات مات

What has gone by is dead.

What is past cannot be recovered, so close the page on it and do not tie yourself up in regret. Said in consolation to someone dwelling on what is gone, and to urge facing what is left.

A common proverb current in exactly the same wording across the Arab world, so we assign it neither to one country nor to the Maghreb. It is among the most-used in colloquial Darija across the Maghreb, where it is quoted alongside companion sayings such as “whoever is a night ahead of you is a trick ahead of you.”

قلب البرمة على فمها تطلع البنت لمها

Turn the pot over on its mouth — the daughter comes out like her mother.

A daughter resembles her mother in temper and in conduct, so whoever wants to know the girl looks at the mother. Said of how character and habits pass down inside a household — in praise or as a caution, depending on the case.

A Moroccan folk proverb current in Darija. The same idea runs through the Arab world in wordings that differ mainly in which cooking vessel is named — a jar in one telling, a cooking pot in another.

يأكل الغلة ويسبّ الملة

He eats the harvest and curses the community.

Said of someone who lives off the good of a people, a country or a household and then denies what he owes them and speaks ill of them. Used of ingratitude — a favour answered with abuse.

A common proverb current in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and elsewhere in the Arab world, so we do not assign it to one country. It is also told in the plural, and in colloquial pronunciation.

قلبي على ولدي انفطر وقلب ولدي عليَّ حجر

My heart broke for my child; my child’s heart toward me is stone.

Said in the grief of a parent who spent a lifetime caring for a child and then met no mercy or loyalty in return. Used of ingratitude among the closest of kin — the most painful form it takes.

An inherited folk proverb in circulation across the Arab world, so we do not assign it to one country. Its second half is also told as “and my child’s heart is on a stone.”

أُعلِّمه الرمايةَ كلَّ يومٍ فلمّا اشتدَّ ساعدُه رماني

I taught him archery day after day, and when his arm grew strong he shot me.

Said of someone who learned from a benefactor and then turned what he learned against him. Used of ingratitude — teaching and upbringing repaid with betrayal.

A line of old Arabic verse that has long circulated as a proverb. The lines are attributed to Maʿn ibn Aws al-Muzanī, and also to Mālik ibn Fahm al-Azdī, so the ascription is disputed. The first half is transmitted with istadda as well as ishtadda, and the poem continues: “and how often I taught him to string rhymes — and once he managed one, he lampooned me.”

ومَن يَجعَلِ المعروفَ في غيرِ أهلِهِ يكنْ حَمدُهُ ذمّاً عليه ويَندَمِ

Whoever places a kindness where it does not belong will find his praise turned to blame — and will regret it.

Whoever does good to someone undeserving of it meets not thanks but disparagement, and is left regretting a kindness put in the wrong place. Said of ingratitude, and of the need to consider who a favour is being placed with.

Attributed to Zuhayr ibn Abī Sulmā, but the commentaries and recensions disagree over the wording of the line at this point in the Muʿallaqa: al-Zawzānī’s commentary on the Muʿallaqāt fills the slot, among Zuhayr’s own run of maxims, with «ومن يجعل المعروف من دون عرضه / يفره ومن لا يتق الشتم يشتم», while other references carry the popular «في غير أهله» line there instead. It also circulates with yaṣnaʿi (“does”) in place of yajʿali (“places”). We record the disagreement rather than affirming either wording as the text of the Muʿallaqa.

إذا أنتَ أكرمتَ الكريمَ ملكتَه وإن أنتَ أكرمتَ اللئيمَ تمرَّدا

Honour a noble man and you have won him; honour a base one and he turns insolent.

Kindness draws out the heart of a noble man and he becomes yours; a base one reads the same kindness the wrong way, denies it, and only grows more overbearing. Said of ingratitude, and of matching a favour to the person it is placed with.

A line by Abū al-Ṭayyib al-Mutanabbī (10th c.) from his poem “every man has of his age whatever he grew used to,” long since circulating as a proverb. The line that follows it runs: “placing bounty where the sword belongs harms high standing, as does placing the sword where bounty belongs.” It is attributable verse, not an anonymous proverb.

ديوان المتنبّي — Dīwān al-Mutanabbī