Abū l-Faḍl al-Maydānī of Nishapur (d. 1124) gathered more than six thousand Arabic proverbs into his Majmaʿ al-Amthāl. Here is a selection arranged under six themes, beginning with devotion and the spiritual life and continuing through five that dominate today’s self-help shelves, with the Arabic, a transliteration, a literal translation glossing its key terms, an idiomatic rendering, a note on why each still speaks to us, and al-Maydānī’s own explanation where it adds context.
About al-Maydānī
أبو الفضل أحمد بن محمد الميداني النيسابوري (ت ٥١٨ هـ)
Nine centuries before anyone coined the term “self-help,” a scholar in Nishapur set out to gather the entire proverbial wisdom of the Arabs into a single book, and he very nearly succeeded. Abū al-Faḍl Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Maydānī (d. 518 AH / 1124 CE) took his name from Maydān Ziyād, a quarter of Nishapur, then one of the great intellectual capitals of the Islamic world. He trained under Abū al-Ḥasan al-Wāḥidī, the renowned exegete of the Qur’an, and became a master of Arabic grammar and lexicography in his own right.
His Majmaʿ al-Amthāl (“The Confluence of Proverbs”) is his crowning achievement: a monumental collection of more than six thousand sayings, arranged alphabetically, each explained with its meaning, its origin story and the situations in which it was used. He combed through earlier collections, poetry and the sayings of the Bedouin, then went further, adding the sayings of later generations at the close of each chapter. The result became the standard reference on Arabic proverbs for nearly a thousand years, and in the nineteenth century European scholars translated it into Latin, carrying his work to a new audience.
Beyond the Majmaʿ, he wrote works on Arabic morphology and grammar and an Arabic–Persian dictionary, al-Sāmī fī al-Asāmī. He spent his life in Nishapur and died there in 518 AH. What he preserved still speaks with remarkable directness: compact, vivid and practical wisdom about faith, the mind, the body, the people we love and the work we do.
Religious devotion & spirituality
العبادة والحياة الروحية
On prayer, repentance, sincerity, God-consciousness, and the inner life of faith.
01
سَائِلُ اللهِ لَا يَخِيبُ
Sāʾilu llāhi lā yakhīb.
Literal The one who asks of God (sāʾil: petitioner, supplicant) does not come away disappointed (lā yakhību: is not frustrated, does not return empty-handed).
Whoever asks of God is never turned away empty-handed.
This distills a principle central to Islamic spirituality: duʿāʾ is never wasted. A well-known hadith teaches that every sincere supplication is answered in one of three ways: it is granted, it is stored as reward for the Hereafter, or a comparable harm is averted by it. This reframes prayers that seem unanswered; the asking is itself worship and draws the servant nearer. Cultivate the habit of turning to God first, in small needs as in great ones.
Literal Make the good deed (ḥasana) follow the bad deed (sayyiʾa); it will erase it (tamḥuhā: wipe it out).
Follow a wrong with a good deed, and it will wipe the wrong away.
These words form part of a celebrated Prophetic counsel, recorded by al-Tirmidhī, that also includes ‘fear God wherever you are’ and ‘treat people with good character.’ It offers a hopeful model of the moral life: a lapse is not the end of the story, and the right response is sincere repentance followed by prompt good action, not despair. Guilt that leads to renewed effort is healthy; guilt that paralyzes serves no one. After a mistake, ask what good you can do next.
Literal Abandoning the sin (dhanb) is easier than seeking repentance (tawba: turning back to God in remorse).
To leave a sin untouched is easier than to seek repentance after it.
Prevention is easier than cure, in the soul as in the body. The door of repentance is always open and wide, yet repentance is demanding: remorse, ceasing the act, resolving not to return, and restoring the rights of anyone wronged. Far easier to avoid the path that leads there. In practice, that means guarding one’s environment, company and habits, closing off the avenues that lead toward wrongdoing before temptation gathers strength.
Literal The religion (dīn: faith as a complete way of life) is sincere counsel (naṣīḥa: sincerity, wholehearted well-wishing, honest advice).
Religion is sincerity and sincere counsel.
In the hadith recorded by Muslim, the Prophet said this and, when asked ‘To whom?’, replied: to God, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk. Naṣīḥa is broader than advice; it is wholehearted sincerity and genuine well-wishing. Scholars counted this among the hadiths around which the religion turns. In practice it means honesty in worship, goodwill in dealings, and the courage to advise others kindly and privately.
Literal The one who directs to good (dāll: guide, one who points the way) is like its doer.
Whoever guides others to good is like the one who does it.
Reported by al-Tirmidhī as a Prophetic saying, this multiplies the reach of every good act. Teaching a skill, recommending a worthy charity, encouraging someone toward prayer or reconciliation: the reward flows to the one who pointed the way as well. It invites us to see mentoring, teaching and simple encouragement as acts of worship. Ask yourself whom you might guide toward good this week.
Literal The best provision (rizq: sustenance apportioned by God) is what suffices, and the best remembrance (dhikr: remembrance of God) is the hidden (khafī: quiet, private).
The best provision is what suffices; the best remembrance of God is the quiet one.
This pairs two forms of spiritual moderation: contentment with sufficient provision, and remembrance of God practiced quietly, away from display. Private dhikr protects sincerity (ikhlāṣ) from the pull of being seen, and contentment frees the heart from the anxiety of accumulation. A simple practice: set aside a few minutes each day for quiet remembrance that no one else knows about.
Literal Good is a habit (ʿāda: custom, something one returns to), and evil is obstinacy (lajāja: stubborn persistence, obstinate clinging).
Goodness is a habit; evil is a stubborn persistence.
Reported as a Prophetic saying by Ibn Mājah, this presents virtue as something trained through repetition, much as modern habit science describes. Goodness becomes natural when practiced regularly; evil is the soul’s obstinate insistence on what it knows to be wrong. The Prophet also taught that the deeds most beloved to God are those done consistently, even if small. Build modest, regular acts of worship and kindness until they become second nature.
Literal The doubtful matter (shubha: that whose permissibility is unclear) is the sister of the forbidden (ḥarām).
What is doubtful is the sister of what is forbidden.
This echoes the famous hadith of al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr: the lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between them are doubtful matters; whoever guards against them preserves his religion and his honor. Scrupulousness (waraʿ) in grey areas protects against sliding into what is plainly wrong. When uncertain about a transaction, a source of income or a habit, seek knowledgeable counsel, and where doubt remains, lean toward caution.
Literal The God-conscious one (taqī: possessor of taqwā, mindful of God) is bridled (muljam: reined in, as a horse with a bit).
The God-conscious person is held in check, as if by a bridle.
Taqwā, God-consciousness, works like a bridle on speech and conduct. The image is not of oppression but of direction: a bridled horse goes where it should rather than wherever impulse takes it. Scholars describe taqwā as placing a protective barrier between oneself and what displeases God. Its fruits appear most visibly in restraint of the tongue, the gaze and the temper.
Literal Consult in your affair those who fear God (yakhshawna: hold God in reverent awe).
In your affairs, seek the counsel of those who fear God.
Consultation (shūrā) is praised in the Qur’an as a trait of the believers, and this proverb specifies whom to consult: people of taqwā. Their counsel is less likely to be colored by self-interest and more likely to weigh consequences in this life and the next. Together with istikhāra, the prayer for guidance, seeking such counsel is the classical Islamic approach to weighty decisions. Choose advisers for their integrity as well as their expertise.
Literal The doing of kindnesses (iṣṭināʿ al-maʿrūf: performing good deeds and favors) protects against the places of evil downfall (maṣāriʿ al-sūʾ: calamitous falls, evil ends).
Acts of kindness shield their doer from an evil end.
This closely echoes a well-known hadith: ‘Acts of kindness protect against evil ends.’ It expresses a conviction deep in Islamic ethics that good deeds are rewarded in the Hereafter and can also bring protection and blessing in this life. Charity, helping those in need and upholding family ties are all included. Make regular acts of kindness, even small ones, a fixed part of your week.
Literal The best of pardon (ʿafw: forgiveness, forgoing one’s due retribution) is that which comes from power (qudra: the ability to retaliate).
The finest forgiveness is that of one who could have retaliated.
Forgiving when powerless may be mere necessity; forgiving when you could exact your due is virtue. The Qur’an praises those who restrain their anger and pardon people, and the Prophet’s pardon of the Quraysh at the conquest of Mecca is the classic example. A hadith teaches that the strong one is not the wrestler but the one who masters himself in anger. Consider whom you could forgive precisely because you hold the upper hand.
Literal The best of traits (khilāl: qualities of character) is guarding the tongue (lisān).
Of all virtues, the finest is a guarded tongue.
The Prophet taught, ‘Whoever believes in God and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent,’ and warned Muʿādh ibn Jabal that people are cast into the Fire on their faces chiefly for the harvest of their tongues. Backbiting, slander, lying and careless words are among the easiest sins to commit and the hardest to undo. Before speaking, a helpful test is to ask: is it true, is it kind, and is it needed?
Literal Conceal your brother’s private fault (ʿawra: what is shameful to expose) because of what he knows in you.
Cover your brother’s faults, for he knows faults of yours as well.
Concealing others’ faults (satr) is a cherished Islamic value: the Prophet said that whoever conceals a Muslim’s fault, God will conceal his faults in this world and the next. The proverb adds a humbling reason: everyone has something they would not want exposed. Spreading others’ failings in gossip or on social media violates this principle. Where correction is needed, offer it privately and gently.
Literal Truthfulness (ṣidq) is honor (ʿizz: dignity, strength), and lying is abasement (khuḍūʿ: submission, lowliness).
Truth is dignity; lying is self-abasement.
The liar is always subordinate: to the fear of discovery, to the one deceived, to the next lie needed to cover the first. The truthful stand free. The Prophet taught that truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise, and that a person keeps to the truth until he is recorded with God as a ṣiddīq. Make truthfulness non-negotiable, in small matters and even in jest.
Literal The best of your share (ḥaẓẓ: portion, lot) of your worldly life (dunyā: this lower, transient world) is what you did not attain.
Your best share of this world may be what you never obtained.
A striking expression of zuhd, detachment from the world. What we are denied may be what would have distracted or harmed us, echoing the Qur’anic verse: ‘It may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you.’ This is not a call to stop striving, but to hold outcomes lightly and trust God’s wisdom in what is withheld. When a door closes, reflect on what it may have protected you from.
Literal By the praise of God (ḥamd: praise and thanks), not by your praise.
Thanks are due to God, not to you.
It is said when relief or vindication comes through God’s grace rather than through the help of the person addressed. Similar words are reported from ʿĀʾisha, who, when the Qur’an declared her innocence, gave thanks to God alone. In Islamic understanding every good ultimately comes from God, even when it reaches us through people, and the hadith ‘whoever does not thank people has not thanked God’ keeps the balance. Thank those who help you, while recognizing the true Source of every blessing.
Literal Be wholehearted in friendship (khāliṣ: give pure, sincere intimacy) with the believer, and deal with good manners (khāliq: show outward courtesy) toward the transgressor (fājir: one who sins openly).
Give the believer your wholehearted friendship; give the wrongdoer your courtesy.
A careful distinction in social ethics: close friendship and confidence are for people of faith and integrity, while everyone, including the openly sinful, is owed good manners. Islam gives no license for rudeness toward anyone, yet it counsels discernment in choosing intimates, for, as a hadith says, a person follows the way of his close friend. Be gracious to all; choose your confidants with care.
Literal Transgression (baghy: oppression, overstepping bounds against others) is the last of a people’s term (mudda: allotted span).
Oppression marks the final days of a people.
Injustice is a sign of decline. The Qur’an repeatedly recounts nations destroyed after their transgression, and a hadith states that no sin is more deserving of swift punishment in this world, besides what awaits in the next, than oppression and severing family ties. The warning applies to households, companies and institutions as much as to nations. Guard against every form of injustice, above all where you hold power over others.
Literal Fear God regarding your brother’s side (janb: his rights and standing), and do not bore into his shin (taqdaḥ fī sāqihi: undermine him, as a worm bores into wood).
Fear God in your brother’s affairs, and do not undermine him.
Taqwā is not only between a person and God; it governs how we treat others. To ‘bore into his shin’ is to undermine a brother’s standing through slander, sabotage or envy. The Prophet taught that a Muslim does not wrong his brother, betray him or belittle him, and that it is evil enough for a person to look down on his brother. In workplaces and communities alike, this means refusing to rise by tearing others down.
Literal The best of affairs (umūr: matters, undertakings) are their middles (awsāṭ: midpoints, moderate courses).
The best of all things is the middle course.
Often circulated as a hadith, the saying is better attested as a maxim of the early Muslims, but its meaning is firmly rooted in revelation: the Qur’an describes this community as ‘a middle nation’ (2:143), and the Prophet warned that no one makes the religion overly severe without being overcome by it. Balance is itself a spiritual discipline: worship that is sustained, without neglecting the rights of the body, family and others. The well-known counsel of Salmān al-Fārisī to Abū al-Dardāʾ, which the Prophet affirmed, makes the point: your Lord has a right over you, your body has a right over you, and your family has a right over you.
Literal The fruit of patience (ṣabr: steadfast endurance) is the success (nujḥ) of attainment (ẓafar: victory, achieving one’s aim).
Patience bears its fruit in success attained.
Ṣabr is among the most frequently praised virtues in the Qur’an: ‘Indeed, God is with the patient’ (2:153), and ‘only the patient will be given their reward without measure’ (39:10). Scholars describe three dimensions of patience: in carrying out obedience, in refraining from sin, and in accepting what God has decreed. The proverb adds a note of hope: patience is not passive waiting but the soil in which success grows.
Literal [Hold to] patience (ṣabran: an accusative of exhortation), even if it be straitness (qatr: meagerness of provision, financial hardship).
Be patient, even when provision is tight.
Financial hardship is among the trials the Qur’an names explicitly: ‘We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth… and give good tidings to the patient’ (2:155). The Prophet described the believer’s affair as wholly good: in ease he is grateful, and that is good for him; in hardship he is patient, and that is good for him. Patience in lean times does not mean inaction; it means working and seeking lawful provision while keeping the heart steady and trusting God.
Literal Evil is the foulest (akhbath: most vile, impure) of what you have stored in a vessel (awʿayta: packed into a container) of provision (zād: supplies for a journey).
Of all the provisions you could pack, evil is the foulest.
Life in Islamic thought is a journey, and what we carry forward matters. The Qur’an says: ‘Take provision, and the best provision is taqwā’ (2:197). This proverb names the opposite: wrongdoing is the worst baggage a traveler can pack, because it spoils everything around it. A useful nightly reflection, practiced by the early Muslims as muḥāsaba (self-accounting), is to ask what you added to your provision today.
Literal Gloating (shamāta: rejoicing at another’s misfortune) is baseness (luʾm: meanness, ignoble character).
To gloat over another’s misfortune is ignoble.
A hadith in al-Tirmidhī warns: ‘Do not show gloating over your brother’s misfortune, lest God show him mercy and afflict you.’ The Prophet also sought refuge in God from the gloating of enemies. In an age of online pile-ons and public shaming, the proverb is a sharp corrective. When others fall, the believer’s response is compassion, prayer for their relief, and humility about his own vulnerability.
Literal Leave evil (sharr: wrongdoing, strife) and it will leave you.
Leave evil alone, and it will leave you alone.
Much harm finds us because we go looking for it: in arguments we join, gossip we entertain and quarrels we inflame. The Prophet taught that part of the excellence of a person’s Islam is leaving what does not concern him. Stepping back from disputes that are not yours to settle preserves both your peace and your religion.
Literal Evil: its small parts begin it (ṣighār: minor things, lesser beginnings).
Great evils begin with small ones.
The Prophet warned against sins people consider trivial, likening them to travelers who each gather a single stick until together they have enough to kindle a fire. Serious moral failures rarely appear suddenly; they grow from small compromises left unaddressed. Take the minor lapses seriously, repent from them promptly, and they will not have the chance to grow.
Literal Eating with praise (ḥamd: praising and thanking) is better than eating with silence.
To eat and give thanks is better than to eat in silence.
Gratitude turns an ordinary act into worship. The Prophet said that God is pleased with the servant who eats a meal and praises Him for it, and who drinks and praises Him for it (Muslim). Saying ‘Bismillāh’ before eating and ‘al-ḥamdu lillāh’ after is one of the simplest daily practices of thankfulness, and it extends naturally to thanking the one who prepared or provided the food.
Literal Silence is wisdom (ḥukm: sound judgment, wisdom) and few are its doers (fāʿil: one who practices it).
Silence is wisdom, yet few are those who keep it.
The saying is attributed in Arabic tradition to Luqmān the Wise. Its spirit matches the Prophet’s words, ‘Whoever keeps silent is saved’ (al-Tirmidhī). Silence here is not withdrawal but restraint: holding back from idle talk, argument and backbiting so that speech, when it comes, is purposeful. Spiritual teachers have long counted guarding the tongue among the foundations of a sound heart.
To bear hardship poorly is to lower one’s own honor.
The Qur’an praises the poor who do not beg insistently, so that ‘the ignorant would think them self-sufficient because of their restraint’ (2:273). Dignity in need, called taʿaffuf, is a virtue in its own right. Complaint to God is worship, while complaint to people in a way that abases oneself is discouraged. Seek help where needed and without shame, but carry hardship with composure and trust.
Literal What is my anger toward one whom I possess (i.e., have power over), and what is my anger toward that which I do not possess (i.e., cannot control)?
Why rage at the one within my power, and why rage at what lies beyond it?
In therapy rooms this is called the dichotomy of control, and it is one of the most reliable tools for untangling anger. Before reacting, sort the situation into two columns: what you can influence and what you cannot. For the first, anger is a signal to act, so convert it into a concrete next step. For the second, it is energy with nowhere to go, and the work is acceptance rather than suppression. Either way, lingering rage changes nothing but your own blood pressure.
Literal Whoever does not grieve (yaʾsa, from asiya: to sorrow) over what has escaped him (fātahu: passed him by) has given rest to his soul (nafs: self).
Whoever does not grieve over what has passed him by grants his soul repose.
Clinicians distinguish grief, which moves, from rumination, which loops. Rumination replays the missed opportunity or the failed relationship without producing new insight, and it is closely associated with depression and anxiety. The proverb names the reward for breaking the loop: rest. One practical method is a short, fixed ‘worry window’ each day; when the thought intrudes outside it, note it and return to the present. Letting go is less a feeling than a repeated choice.
Man ḥaddatha nafsahu bi-ṭūli l-baqāʾi fa-l-yuwaṭṭin nafsahu ʿalā l-maṣāʾib.
Literal Whoever speaks to himself (ḥaddatha nafsahu: promises himself) of long remaining (ṭūl al-baqāʾ: long life), let him settle (yuwaṭṭin: accustom, make a homeland of) his soul upon calamities.
Whoever promises himself long life, let him make his soul at home with misfortune.
This is the Stoic practice of premeditatio malorum, echoed in modern resilience research: people tend to cope better with adversity they have mentally rehearsed. The aim is not to dwell on catastrophe but to set realistic expectations, so that loss, illness and setback register as part of a full life rather than as a betrayal. When planning anything important, briefly ask what might go wrong and how you would get through it. Preparation of this kind reduces fear rather than feeding it.
Literal There is no escape for the one afflicted in the chest (maṣdūr: suffering a chest ailment) from spitting out (yanfutha: to expectorate, blow out).
The one whose chest is burdened must, in the end, breathe it out.
Emotions that are pushed down tend to leak out elsewhere, as irritability, insomnia or physical tension. Research on expressive writing, pioneered by the psychologist James Pennebaker, found that putting difficult experiences into words can improve mood and even some health markers. The proverb grants permission to unburden, and the modern outlets are many: a journal, a trusted friend, a support group, a therapist. The key is choosing a safe outlet before the pressure chooses one for you.
Literal There is no living (ʿaysh: life, livelihood) for one who lies down beside (yuḍājiʿ: shares a bed with) fear.
There is no life for one who lies down each night beside fear.
Anxiety that follows you to bed is a sign it has moved from useful alarm to chronic condition. Persistent fear disrupts sleep, and poor sleep in turn amplifies fear, a cycle that steadily erodes quality of life. The proverb’s verdict, that such a life is scarcely living, is reason enough to take it seriously. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which targets both anxious thinking and sleep, is among the best-supported treatments, and a conversation with a doctor is a worthwhile first step.
Literal Floods (ghamarāt: overwhelming waters; figuratively, engulfing hardships), then they clear away (yanjalīn: are dispelled, as darkness lifts).
Engulfing waves, and then they lift.
In crisis, our sense of time collapses and present pain feels permanent. The proverb restores the missing perspective in three words. Therapists sometimes ask clients to recall a past hardship that did eventually lift, as evidence that this one can too. Hold on to the structure of the saying: the waves are real and they are overwhelming, but ‘then’ is part of the sentence.
Literal Anger is the ghūl (a desert demon that waylays and destroys) of forbearance (ḥilm: self-mastery, clemency).
Anger is the demon that devours self-mastery.
Anger narrows attention and pushes us toward fast, defensive reactions, which is why we say things in a temper we would never say calm. The proverb captures how completely it can swallow judgment. Nearly every anger-management approach begins with the same move: create a gap. Leave the room, breathe slowly for a minute, or agree to revisit the conversation later. Composure is rarely lost all at once; it is devoured in the seconds you don’t take.
Literal Give the lie to the soul (akdhib: declare false, contradict) when you converse with it (i.e., when you tell yourself something).
Give the lie to your soul whenever you speak with it.
Classical lexicographers explain it as: do not tell yourself you will fail, for that talk saps your will. Cognitive-behavioral therapy rests on the same insight. Automatic negative thoughts feel like facts, but they are hypotheses that can be examined and disputed. When your inner voice predicts defeat, ask what evidence supports it, what contradicts it, and what you would say to a friend in your place. You need not believe every thought you think.
Literal Man (al-marʾ: the person) is intensely yearning (tawwāq: intensive form, ever-craving) for what he has not attained.
A person ever longs for what he has yet to attain.
Psychologists call this hedonic adaptation: each raise, purchase or achievement quickly becomes the new normal, and desire moves on to the next thing. It explains why getting what we want so often fails to make us lastingly happier. The remedy is not to stop striving but to balance striving with deliberate appreciation. Simple gratitude practices, such as noting a few things you value each evening, are among the more consistently supported interventions in positive psychology.
Literal The loss of brothers (ikhwān: brethren, close friends) is estrangement (ghurba: exile, being a stranger far from home).
To lose one’s friends is to live in exile.
Loneliness is now recognized as a serious health risk, and public-health authorities in several countries treat it as a priority. The proverb’s striking insight is that losing one’s friends makes one a stranger even at home. Research suggests friendship is built mainly through repeated time together, so it must be scheduled like anything else that matters. If your circle has thinned, start small: one recurring coffee, call or walk can begin to end the exile.
Yesterday is gone, and all it held has gone with it.
Much anxiety lives in the future and much depression in the past. This proverb closes the door on yesterday gently but firmly: it has departed and taken its contents with it. Mindfulness-based therapies train precisely this return of attention to the present. Learn what yesterday can teach, make amends where you should, and then stop paying rent on a place you no longer live.
Literal Grow severe (tashaddadī: feminine imperative, addressed to hardship), you will break open (tanfarijī: be relieved, as a gap opens).
Tighten your grip, O hardship, and you will give way.
Addressed to hardship itself, the line expresses the conviction that a crisis tightening toward its peak is also nearing its release. Crises often do intensify just before they break, as when a conflict comes to a head or a problem finally forces a decision. In the worst week of a hard season, this reframe matters: pressure is frequently what makes things give way. Keep going through the tightest point.
Literal The bereaved woman (thaklā: a mother who has lost a child) loves the bereaved woman.
The bereaved mother is drawn to the bereaved mother.
People who share a loss understand each other without explanation, which is why peer-support groups for bereaved parents, widows and others are so valued. Well-meaning friends can offer sympathy, but only someone who has walked the same road can offer recognition. If you are grieving, seeking out others with a similar loss is not wallowing; it is one of the most natural sources of comfort there is.
Literal A summer cloud; after a little it disperses (taqashshaʿu: breaks up and clears).
A summer cloud: before long it scatters.
Summer clouds look dramatic but rarely bring rain. Emotional regulation involves learning to tell these passing storms, a bad mood, a curt email, a disappointing day, from the systems that genuinely need attention. A helpful question is: will this matter in a week? If not, let it pass without reorganizing your life around it. Saving your energy for what lasts is a skill, and it improves with practice.
Literal When judgment (raʾy: considered opinion, reason) is given victory (nuṣira: aided, supported), passion (hawā: whim, swaying desire) becomes void.
When reason is given the victory, desire is undone.
Psychologists describe two modes of thinking, one fast and impulsive, the other slow and deliberate; impulses win when the slower system is not engaged. The proverb’s verb matters: reason must be ‘given victory,’ actively supported. In practice that means adding friction before impulsive choices, such as waiting a day before a large purchase or sleeping on an angry reply. Once reason gets a hearing, desire often loses its hold.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He says it is used for following reason.
Literal When evil (sharr: trouble, strife) springs up with you (nazā: leaps, surges), sit down with it.
When trouble springs you to your feet, meet it by sitting down.
When provocation makes you want to leap up, deliberately do the opposite. This is an old form of the de-escalation advice now taught to nurses, teachers and police: lower your body, your voice and your pace, and the other person’s agitation tends to follow. Sitting down also calms your own nervous system. Trouble loses much of its momentum when you refuse to rise to meet it.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He explains it as a command to forbearance and to not rushing into conflict; a variant reads ‘when trouble stands you up, sit down.’
Literal Sin (ithm: moral wrongdoing) is the incessant cutter of hearts (ḥazzāz: intensive of ḥazz, notching; that which rankles and chafes).
Wrongdoing is what cuts and rankles within the heart.
Psychologists distinguish guilt, the sense of having done something wrong, from shame, the sense of being something wrong. Guilt is uncomfortable but constructive: it signals that a value has been crossed and motivates repair. The proverb captures its nagging, cutting quality precisely. Rather than numbing it, heed it: acknowledge what happened, make amends where possible, and adjust. Ignored, guilt keeps cutting; addressed, it usually heals.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He quotes ‘sin is what rankles in your heart even if people give you rulings about it’, words known from a Prophetic hadith, though he introduces them only with ‘as it is said’. He adds Ibn Sīrīn’s advice: if you are in doubt about something, leave it.
Literal Indeed the solicitous one (shafīq: tenderly anxious for another) is habitually given (mūlaʿ: enamored, addicted) to evil supposition (sūʾ ẓann: expecting the worst).
The one who cares deeply is ever given to fearing the worst.
Love and worry travel together; the more we care, the more disasters we imagine. Anxious parents, partners and caregivers will recognize themselves here. Seeing this clearly helps you treat your fears as a sign of attachment rather than a reliable forecast. When worst-case scenarios arrive, ask how likely they really are and what you would do if they happened. Caring well includes managing your worry so it does not become the other person’s burden.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He says it is used for someone devoted to another’s welfare, who can hardly imagine anything but mishaps befalling them, ‘like mothers’ fears for their children.’
Literal Fortitude (tajallud: steeling oneself, bearing up with strength), and not stupefaction (taballud: becoming dull, bewildered, helpless).
Fortitude, never dull stupor.
Under severe stress, people tend either to brace and act or to freeze and go numb. Psychologists link the second pattern to learned helplessness, the belief that nothing one does matters. The proverb chooses active endurance. Small actions help break the freeze: getting up, making one phone call, taking a walk. Fortitude is less a heroic feeling than a series of modest refusals to give up.
Literal The best of wealth (ghinā: sufficiency, independence) is contentment (qunūʿ), and the worst of poverty is abasement (khuḍūʿ: submission, self-humbling before others).
The finest wealth is contentment; the worst poverty is servility.
Research on wellbeing consistently finds that, once basic needs are met, feeling that you have enough matters more than how much you have. The first half of the proverb describes that sense of sufficiency. The second adds a sharp warning: the truly impoverished state is surrendering your dignity to get more. Protecting your self-respect in work, relationships and money is itself a form of wealth no one can take from you.
Literal Poor holding-on (istimsāk: gripping fast, as a rider to his mount) is better than a graceful fall (ṣarʿa: being thrown to the ground).
Clinging on clumsily is better than falling gracefully.
Perfectionism often tells us that if we cannot do something well, we should not do it at all. This proverb disagrees: an awkward, imperfect hold beats an elegant collapse. Therapists working with depression and burnout often encourage exactly this stance, doing the ‘good enough’ version of daily tasks rather than abandoning them. On hard days, aim to stay in the saddle, not to look good there.
Literal Mix with (khāliṭū) people and separate yourselves from them (zāyilū: part from, keep distinct).
Mingle with people, yet keep some distance from them.
Wellbeing depends on both connection and solitude. Constant social exposure drains many people, while isolation breeds loneliness; the healthy rhythm moves between the two. The proverb also suggests holding a distinct inner life amid company: belonging without losing yourself. Build both into your week, time with others and time alone to reflect.
Literal Verification (tathabbut: ascertaining the facts before acting) is half of pardon.
To verify before you act is halfway to forgiveness.
Much anger rests on assumptions that collapse once checked. Cognitive therapists call this ‘jumping to conclusions’ or ‘mind reading.’ The Qur’an commands verifying news before acting on it, lest we harm people out of ignorance (49:6). Before reacting to a slight, ask: what do I actually know, and what am I assuming? Often the facts alone dissolve half the grievance.
Literal Covetous hopes (maṭāmiʿ: greedy desires, things coveted) sever the necks of men.
Covetous desires have cut down many a man.
Craving what others have, or always wanting more, is a reliable source of anxiety and dissatisfaction. Social comparison, amplified by social media, feeds it constantly. Psychologists find that materialistic goals tend to correlate with lower wellbeing. Notice when desire turns into a compulsion, and redirect attention to what you already have and the values that matter most to you.
Literal Let evil (sharr: trouble, provocation) pass across (yaʿbur: cross by and go on).
Let the trouble pass on by.
Not every provocation requires a response. Mindfulness practices teach observing difficult thoughts and events like leaves on a stream: noticed, then allowed to float away. A rude comment, an irritating message, a minor slight: often the wisest move is simply to let it cross your path and keep walking.
Literal Swiftest toward a man’s diminishment (naqṣ: decline, decrease) is his completeness (tamām: reaching fullness, the peak).
Nothing hastens a man’s decline like reaching his peak.
Arabic poetry often notes that whatever reaches completion begins to wane. Psychologists observe a related pattern: reaching a long-sought goal can be followed by a letdown, a loss of direction or complacency. Plan for life after the summit: new goals, renewed purpose and humility about how quickly circumstances change.
Literal Some evil is easier (ahwan: lighter, less grievous) than some.
Some misfortunes are lighter than others.
Catastrophic thinking treats every setback as the worst possible outcome. This proverb restores proportion: hardships come in degrees, and most could have been worse. Therapists use this kind of perspective-taking to ease distress, and it also helps in decisions, when every option carries some cost and the task is choosing the lesser harm.
Literal The worst of what a man seeks (rāma: aims at, strives for) is what he does not attain.
The worst pursuit is the one never attained.
Chasing goals that are out of reach breeds chronic frustration and a sense of failure. Psychologists recommend goals that are challenging yet achievable, broken into steps that offer regular progress. Ambition is healthy, but it should be matched with realism, so that striving brings meaning rather than perpetual disappointment.
Literal Indeed the possession of power (maqdira: capability over another) removes resentment (ḥafīẓa: anger, a sense of grievance).
Once one has the upper hand, resentment falls away.
Grievances are often fed by powerlessness; once we are in a position to act, the urge to retaliate frequently fades. Psychologists note that restoring a sense of agency can reduce anger and anxiety. The proverb is also an invitation: when you do gain the upper hand, let that moment become one of generosity rather than revenge.
Literal Deaf to what displeases him (sāʾahu: grieves or offends him), keen of hearing (samīʿ) [to all else].
Deaf to whatever displeases him, all ears to the rest.
The line can be read in two ways, and both are psychologically sharp. As a warning, it describes selective hearing, what psychologists call confirmation bias, in which we tune out unwelcome truths. As counsel, it describes a wise refusal to absorb insults and petty slights. Ask yourself which kind of deafness you are practicing.
Literal Prudence (ḥazm: resolute foresight) is safeguarding what you have been charged with (kullifta: tasked, burdened with), and leaving what you have been spared (kufīta: had taken care of for you by another).
Prudence is to guard what is entrusted to you and leave what others have spared you.
This is a complete philosophy of focus in one sentence. First, fully own your genuine responsibilities, the commitments you have made and the roles you hold. Second, have the discipline to leave alone what others are already handling. Micromanaging delegated work and absorbing tasks that are not yours are two of the fastest ways to dilute your effectiveness. A useful weekly review question: what am I carrying that is not actually mine to carry?
Literal Eating with the full mouth (khaḍm: chewing rich, moist food with the whole mouth) may be attained by nibbling (qaḍm: biting dry food with the front teeth).
By modest nibbling, one may come at last to feasting.
Qaḍm is biting dry food with the front teeth; khaḍm is eating richly with the whole mouth. Modest, repeated nibbles eventually bring you to the feast. This is the logic of compounding that underpins modern habit science: small, consistent actions sustained over months outperform occasional bursts of heroic effort. Choose a behavior so small you cannot fail to do it daily, and let time do the multiplying.
Literal The short-stepping (qaṭūf: a mount with close, slow steps) may reach the wide-striding (wasāʿ: a mount with long, ample paces).
The slow-stepping mount may yet overtake the long-striding one.
The short-stepping camel can arrive with the long-striding one, because over a long journey what matters is not top speed but continuity. In work and learning, consistency routinely outperforms raw talent that appears only sporadically. If you feel outpaced by quicker colleagues, focus on your cadence. Steady weekly progress, sustained for a year, is a formidable advantage.
Literal When you take up a work, fall into it (qaʿ: plunge, commit wholly); for its failure (khayba: disappointment) is only guarding oneself against it (tawaqqī: shrinking back, wariness).
When you take on a task, plunge in; its failure lies only in holding back.
Half-committed projects fail more often than difficult ones. The proverb locates failure in tawaqqī, the wary holding back that keeps you hovering at the edge of a task. Procrastination research agrees that avoidance is usually driven by discomfort rather than laziness, and that the discomfort shrinks once you begin. Commit to one task at a time, clear distractions, and give it a protected block of deep, uninterrupted work.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He explains: when you begin something, keep at it and don’t shrink from it, ‘for failure lies in timidity.’
Literal Many a delay (rayth: tarrying) is followed by loss (fawt: the escape of an opportunity).
Many a delay ends in the chance slipping away.
Delay carries a hidden cost: many opportunities have windows, and windows close. Applications, conversations, investments and relationships all have seasons. The proverb warns that ‘later’ quietly becomes ‘never.’ A practical safeguard is to attach a deadline to every important decision you are postponing, and to ask not only what happens if you act, but what happens if you do not act soon.
Literal I might be prudent (aḥzimu: act with firm foresight) if I were to resolve (aʿzimu: make up my mind firmly).
Prudence would be mine, if only I had resolve.
The speaker knows the prudent course; what is missing is resolve. Behavioral scientists call this the intention–action gap, and it is where most good plans die. One of the best-supported tools for closing it is the implementation intention, a specific plan of the form ‘when X happens, I will do Y.’ Turning a vague intention into a concrete trigger removes the need to summon willpower in the moment.
Literal Before the shooting (rimāʾ: an exchange of arrows, archery contest), quivers (kanāʾin, sing. kināna) are filled.
Quivers are filled before the arrows fly.
Preparation belongs before the moment of need, not during it. In practice that means planning tomorrow the evening before, gathering materials before the meeting, and building skills before the opportunity appears. Teams that prepare early spend crunch time executing rather than scrambling. When the arrows start flying, the quiver should already be full.
Literal Indeed the one cut off (munbatt: one who presses on until severed from his companions, exhausting his mount) neither traversed land nor preserved a back (ẓahr: riding animal).
The one who drives himself beyond endurance neither reaches his destination nor spares his mount.
Transmitted as a saying of the Prophet, this is an exact portrait of burnout: the rider who presses so hard that he loses his companions and exhausts his mount never reaches his destination at all. Sustained overwork erodes the very capacity it depends on. High performers in every field build recovery into their routines: regular breaks, genuine days off, adequate sleep. Pace is not the enemy of achievement; it is how long journeys are completed.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He records it as the Prophet’s words to a man who had exerted himself in worship until his eyes sank, prefaced by ‘This religion is firm, so go deep into it gently.’ He says it is used for one who overdoes a pursuit until he defeats his own aim.
Literal At morning the people (qawm: company of travelers) praise the night-journey (surā: traveling by night).
At daybreak, the travelers give thanks for the night’s march.
Traveling by night was grueling, but at dawn the distance covered made it worthwhile. This is delayed gratification. The unglamorous stretches of effort, early mornings, practice sessions, drafts no one sees, are appreciated only in hindsight. When motivation dips, picture the ‘morning,’ the moment results become visible; it makes the night’s march easier to bear.
Literal Many a haste (ʿajala) bestows delay (rayth: tarrying).
Many a hurried step has brought only delay.
Rushing feels productive, but it often creates errors, rework and misunderstandings that cost more time than it saved. The maxim used by surgeons and special forces, ‘slow is smooth, and smooth is fast,’ expresses the same idea. Build in a brief pause before you submit, send or decide; a quick review catches the mistakes haste guarantees.
Literal The date to the date is dates (tamr: collective noun, a store of dates).
One date added to another makes a store of dates.
A single date is nothing; a heap of them is a harvest. Saving a little each month, writing a page a day, learning one new word, making one more call: individually trivial units accumulate into something substantial. The difficulty is psychological, since small steps feel pointless in isolation. Track them visibly so you can watch the heap grow.
Literal Leave aside the little daughters of the road (bunayyāt al-ṭarīq: diminutive; the small byways branching from the main track).
Keep clear of the little byways that branch from the road.
The ‘little daughters of the road’ are the tempting side-tracks that branch from the main route. In modern work they are notifications, interesting tangents, low-value requests and scope creep. Each seems harmless; together they can consume a day. Define the main road first, your one or two priority outcomes, then treat every branching path as something to decline, defer or delegate.
Literal Whenever we cross a landmark (ʿalam: a mountain or cairn guiding travelers), a landmark appears.
No sooner is one landmark passed than another rises into view.
Every finished task reveals the next; the list never truly empties. Productivity writers often observe that trying to ‘get on top of everything’ is a losing game, because there will always be more. The healthier aim is to choose what matters most and accept that some things will remain undone. Do not postpone rest until the last landmark is crossed, because another will always rise into view.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He explains ʿalam as a mountain landmark: whenever we finish one matter, another arises.
Literal Indeed you multiply the notching (ḥazz: cutting into flesh) and miss the joint (mafṣil: the articulation where the butcher separates limbs).
You hack away endlessly, yet never find the joint.
A butcher who hacks at meat without finding the joint works hard and gets nowhere. Busyness is not effectiveness. The skill lies in identifying the point of leverage, the task or decision where modest effort yields the greatest result. Before a long day, ask: if I could do only one thing today, which would make the biggest difference? That is the joint.
Literal The beginning of the tree is the stone (nawāh: date-pit).
The tree’s beginning is a single date-stone.
Every large outcome, a business, a career, a habit, begins as something small enough to overlook. The proverb cuts both ways. It is encouragement to plant the seed today, however insignificant it seems. It is also a caution: harmful habits begin as small seeds too, and they are easiest to remove before they take root.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He says it is used for a small matter from which a great one is born.
Literal Take the matter by its oncoming parts (qawābil: its forefront, what first faces you).
Seize each matter at its first approach.
Meet tasks when they first arrive, while they are still small and manageable, instead of chasing them after they have grown into crises. Many productivity systems include a rule of this kind: if something takes only a couple of minutes, do it now. Taking matters by their ‘oncoming end’ keeps small issues from becoming large ones.
Literal Error is the provision (zād: travel supplies) of the hasty (ʿajūl: intensive, habitually rushing).
Error is the hasty traveler’s provision.
The hurried traveler packs errors for the road. Haste is a reliable source of mistakes, in emails, code, contracts and conversations alike. Build the habit of a final check before anything important goes out. It takes seconds and saves hours of damage control.
Literal Advancing (taqaddum: going forward, acting ahead) before repenting (tanaddum: coming to regret).
Step forward now, before regret arrives.
The Arabic rhyme makes the point memorable: act early, before regret. Research on regret suggests that over the long run people tend to regret what they failed to do more than what they did. Whether it is starting the project, having the conversation or booking the appointment, the step taken early is almost always cheaper than the remorse of taking it too late.
Literal Smooth (dammith: make soft and level, as sandy ground) for yourself, before sleep, a place of lying down (muḍṭajaʿ).
Before you sleep, smooth a place to lay yourself down.
Prepare the ground before you need it. Read literally, it is sound sleep advice: a comfortable, prepared bedroom and a calm wind-down routine support better rest. Read as a principle, it is about setting up your environment in advance, laying out tomorrow’s work and preparing your tools, so that when the moment arrives you can simply begin.
Literal When you cauterize (kawayta: brand, as a medical treatment), bring it to ripeness (anḍij: carry it through fully); and when you chew, grind fine (udquq).
If you cauterize, finish the work; if you chew, chew it fine.
If a job is worth doing, do it completely. Half-finished work usually has to be revisited, costing more than doing it properly the first time. This is not a call for perfectionism, which is its own trap, but for completion: carrying a task through to the point where it genuinely works. Define ‘done’ clearly before you start, and do not stop short of it.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He says it is used to urge doing a thing thoroughly.
Literal Tuck up a hem (shammir dhaylan: gather up your garment’s skirt for action) and clothe yourself in night (iddariʿ laylan: put on the night like a coat of mail, travel by it).
Hitch up your robe and wrap yourself in the night.
Readiness and effort: roll up your sleeves and use the quiet hours when others rest. Many productive people protect early-morning or late-evening blocks for focused work, free of interruptions. The caveat for modern readers is sleep: use the quiet hours by shifting your schedule, not by cutting the rest your body needs.
Literal May haste stumble (taʿisat: fall on its face, perish; an imprecation).
A curse on haste!
Psychologists sometimes speak of ‘hurry sickness’: a chronic sense of urgency that drives rushing even when there is no need. It increases errors and stress while rarely saving real time. Notice where you rush out of habit rather than necessity, and deliberately slow those moments down.
Literal That you come to the watering-place (tarida: arrive at water) with water [still in hand] is shrewder (akyas: wiser, more prudent).
Wiser to reach the well with water still in your skin.
Never run your resources down to zero. Arriving at the next well with some water left means a delay or a dry well will not be fatal. In modern terms: build buffers into schedules, keep an emergency fund, and don’t run projects so tight that one surprise derails them.
Literal Sufficient for you (sharʿuka: your measure of enough) is what brings you to the stopping-place (maḥall: destination, place of alighting).
Enough is whatever gets you where you are going.
Decision researchers distinguish ‘maximizers,’ who seek the best possible option, from ‘satisficers,’ who seek one that is good enough; satisficers tend to be more satisfied and less stressed. Over-polishing work that has already met its goal wastes time better spent elsewhere. Define what ‘arriving’ means for each task, and stop when you get there.
Literal The worst of opinion is the dabarī (the after-the-fact view, arriving once the matter has passed).
The worst counsel is the counsel that comes too late.
Insight that arrives after the decision is merely hindsight. Good decision-making front-loads the thinking: gather views early, consider risks before committing, and run a ‘pre-mortem’ by imagining the project has failed and asking why. Waiting for perfect information often means deciding when it no longer matters.
Literal Release (sarāḥ: dismissing promptly, a quick refusal) is part of success (najāḥ: fulfillment of the need).
A prompt ‘no’ is itself a kind of success.
A quick refusal frees both sides: the asker can look elsewhere, and you are spared a lingering commitment. Productivity writers stress that saying no is essential to protecting time for what matters. Respond to requests promptly, and if the answer is no, say so kindly and clearly rather than leaving it hanging.
Literal Indeed the night is long, and you are moonlit (muqmir: in the moonlight, with light to travel by).
The night is long, and you have the moon to light your way.
There is time, and you have what you need; no need to panic or rush. The proverb counsels calm pacing when a task is long but conditions are favorable. Many deadlines feel more urgent than they are; a steady, well-lit pace often finishes the journey sooner than a frantic sprint.
Literal Strive by your fortune (jadd: good fortune, favorable circumstance) and not by your toil (kadd: laborious, grinding exertion).
Let fortune, not toil alone, carry your striving.
Effort matters, but where you apply it matters more. The same hours yield vastly different results depending on timing, position and leverage. Modern productivity thinking calls this working smart: aligning effort with favorable conditions, opportunities and strengths rather than grinding against the grain.
Literal A small herd (dhawd: three to ten camels) added to a small herd makes camels (ibil: a full herd).
Small herds added together become a great herd.
Scattered small resources become significant when gathered. Fifteen-minute gaps in a day, combined, can become an hour of reading; small savings pooled become capital. Look for the fragments of time and resources you are currently wasting, and find ways to collect them toward a single goal.
Literal Merchandise (biḍāʿa: goods, capital in hand) makes need easy (tuyassiru: facilitates).
Having the goods in hand makes every need easier to meet.
When you have the resources ready, tasks become simple. In work this means building your toolkit in advance: templates, checklists, reference materials and well-maintained skills. The time spent assembling your ‘stock’ pays for itself every time a need arises.
On appetite, moderation, sleep, prevention, and the body’s quiet limits.
91
أَقْلِلْ طَعَامَكَ تَحْمَدْ مَنَامَكَ
Aqlil ṭaʿāmaka taḥmad manāmak.
Literal Lessen your food; you will praise your sleep (manām: sleeping, its time and place).
Eat less, and your sleep will earn your praise.
Large meals, especially late in the evening, are associated with poorer sleep and nighttime discomfort such as reflux. Many sleep specialists advise finishing the main meal a few hours before bed and keeping late snacks light. The proverb’s rhyming pairing of eating and sleeping anticipates what is now standard sleep-hygiene advice: a good night often begins at the dinner table.
Literal Many an eating (akla: a single meal, one act of eating) prevents eatings.
Many a single meal has cost a man many more.
One reckless meal, whether spoiled food, a binge or a trigger food for a chronic condition, can cost many future meals through illness or discomfort. More broadly, the proverb asks us to weigh immediate pleasure against long-term capacity. That is the logic of preventive nutrition: small, repeated choices protect our ability to enjoy food for decades.
Laysa li-l-biṭnati khayrun min khamṣatin tatbaʿuhā.
Literal There is nothing better for surfeit (biṭna: overfullness of the belly) than hollowness (khamṣa: emptiness of the stomach, hunger) that follows it.
For a surfeited belly, nothing serves better than the hunger that follows.
This reads remarkably like an endorsement of fasting intervals after indulgence. Research on intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating is still developing, with mixed findings, and such approaches are not suitable for everyone, particularly people with diabetes, those who are pregnant, or anyone with a history of disordered eating. The broader idea of resting the digestive system after excess, rather than continuing to graze, is one many clinicians would recognize.
Literal Quenching (riyy: full satisfaction of thirst) does not come from draining the last remnant (tashāff: drinking up the shufāfa, the final dregs).
True quenching does not come from draining the cup to its dregs.
Satisfaction arrives before the vessel is empty. Because fullness signals lag behind eating, finishing every last bite often means overshooting what we need. The Okinawan practice of hara hachi bu, eating until roughly 80 percent full, applies the same principle. Eating slowly, pausing midway through a meal and being willing to leave the last portion are simple ways to put it into practice.
Inna mimmā yunbitu r-rabīʿu mā yaqtulu ḥabaṭan aw yulimm.
Literal Indeed among what the spring causes to grow is that which kills by bloating (ḥabaṭ: fatal swelling of livestock from overgrazing) or comes near to it (yulimm).
Of all the spring brings forth, some kills by bloating, or brings one to the brink.
Livestock gorging on lush spring pasture could bloat fatally; abundance itself carries danger. That makes this a fitting image for a modern food environment full of inexpensive, calorie-dense, highly processed products. Our bodies evolved for scarcity, and constant availability tests their limits. Moderation, in al-Azharī’s image, is grazing, resting and digesting before grazing again.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He gives it as part of a Prophetic hadith warning about the world’s allure, and quotes al-Azharī: the bloated animal is the image of excess, while the one that grazes moderately, rests facing the sun and digests is the image of moderation. He says it is used to forbid excess.
Literal In well-being (ʿāfiya: health, safety from affliction) there is a substitute (khalaf) for the ruqya-giver (rāqiya: one who performs ruqya, the healing treatment of reciting over the sick).
Sound health is itself a substitute for any ruqya treatment.
Ruqya, the recitation of the Qur’an and prophetic supplications over the sick, is a recognized Islamic healing treatment; the proverb’s point is that being well spares one the need for any treatment at all. This is the foundation of preventive medicine: sleep, regular movement, a balanced diet, avoiding tobacco and routine screening are safer and more reliable than remedies sought after illness arrives. Guard your health as the blessing it is; a hadith counts it among the two blessings many people squander.
Literal The two reds (al-aḥmarān: a dual naming two things by a shared color) have corrupted people: meat and wine.
Two reds have been mankind’s ruin: meat and wine.
A strikingly current warning. The World Health Organization’s cancer research agency classifies processed meat as carcinogenic and red meat as probably carcinogenic, and health guidance increasingly treats alcohol as harmful even at modest intake. Meat need not vanish from the table, but the evidence supports keeping red and processed meat occasional rather than daily, and alcohol limited, just as the ‘two reds’ suggests.
Literal Surfeit (biṭna: overfullness) has carried you away (ṭaḥat bika: swept you off, cast you far).
Your appetite has swept you away.
Said of someone carried off by overindulgence. Chronic overeating does more than add weight; over time it raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver and joint problems. The image of being swept away is apt, because the drift is gradual and often unnoticed until its effects arrive. Regular checkups, including blood sugar and blood pressure, help catch the current before it carries you too far.
Literal Sufficient for you of wealth (ghinā) is satiety (shibaʿ) and quenching (riyy).
Enough of riches for you: to be fed and to have drunk your fill.
The foundations of wellbeing are basic: nourishment, hydration and the contentment of having enough. Wellness culture often sells complexity, from costly supplements to elaborate protocols, while many people remain under-hydrated or poorly nourished. Before adding anything exotic, make sure the essentials are in place: regular balanced meals and enough water through the day.
Literal More delicious than the dozing (ighfāʾa: a light, brief slumber) of dawn.
Sweeter than a doze in the hour of dawn.
A comparison proverb that makes early-morning sleep the very benchmark of pleasure. Anyone short on rest knows why: sleep pressure and the body’s circadian rhythm make that final stretch feel irresistible. Sleep scientists stress that sleep is a biological necessity tied to mood, immunity, metabolism and memory. If the dawn doze feels this delicious every day, you may simply need more sleep.
Literal Surfeit (biṭna) depletes (taʾfinu: diminishes, as milk drawn from an udder) intelligence (fiṭna: acuity, discernment).
A glutted belly drains the mind of its sharpness.
Anyone who has tried to concentrate after a heavy lunch knows this feeling. Large, carbohydrate-heavy meals are commonly followed by drowsiness and sluggish thinking. For demanding mental work, many people perform better on lighter, balanced meals with protein and fiber, saving the feast for when they can relax. The rhyme ties a full belly to dull wits for good reason.
Literal The belly is the worst vessel (wiʿāʾ: container) empty (ṣifr), and the worst vessel full.
The belly is the worst of vessels when empty, and the worst of vessels when full.
Both extremes misbehave. Hunger makes us irritable and impulsive, while overfullness makes us sluggish and uncomfortable. The implied recommendation is the middle, which is where most nutrition guidance lands: regular, moderate meals that keep energy steady. If you swing between skipping meals and overeating, stabilizing your eating schedule is often the first and most effective change.
Literal Humble yourself before (taḍarraʿ: supplicate, show deference to) the physician before you fall sick.
Seek the physician’s favor before sickness finds you.
Build the relationship with your doctor, and do the checkups, while you are well. Many serious conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes and several cancers, are silent in their early stages and far more treatable when caught through screening. Knowing your baseline numbers, and having a clinician who knows you, makes it easier to spot when something changes.
Literal The best of the morning meal (ghadāʾ) is its early portions (bawākir), and the best of the evening meal (ʿashāʾ) is its seeing portions (bawāṣir: what is eaten while one can still see, before nightfall).
The best breakfast is taken early; the best supper, while there is still light to see.
An early breakfast and a supper while there is still daylight: a rhythm that many circadian and metabolic researchers find promising, with eating aligned to daylight rather than pushed late into the night. The evidence is still developing and schedules vary, but moving the evening meal earlier is an easy experiment. Many people find it improves both sleep and morning appetite.
Ceaseless exertion leaves exhaustion as its legacy.
Continuous strain without pauses leads to depletion. Exercise science builds this into every serious program: the body adapts during recovery, not during the workout, and athletes who never rest risk overtraining, injury and burnout. The same holds for mental work. Plan rest days as deliberately as training days.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He explains ḥusūm as relentless continuation and ḥushūm as exhaustion, and says it is ‘close in meaning to the Prophet’s saying “the one who pushes on until cut off…”’ (no. 2 in this collection).
Literal The worst of travel is ḥaqḥaqa (the hardest pace, driving a mount beyond its strength).
The worst of journeys is one pushed at a punishing pace.
Ḥaqḥaqa is driving a mount so hard that it breaks down. In fitness and diet, extreme intensity, crash diets and punishing workout plans, tends to end the journey early through injury or collapsing motivation. Sustainable programs you can maintain for months nearly always outperform dramatic ones abandoned within weeks. Choose a pace you could keep up for a year.
Literal Addition to the limit (ḥadd: boundary, proper measure) is deficiency in the thing limited (maḥdūd).
To exceed the measure is to diminish what is measured.
More is not always better. Exercise, supplements, fasting and dietary restriction all have healthy doses beyond which they begin to do harm: over-exercise can suppress immunity and cause injury, excessive supplementation can be toxic, and extreme restriction damages health. Good health is usually a matter of finding the right amount, not the maximum.
Literal You desire (tashtahī: crave, have appetite for) and you complain (tashtakī: lament an ailment).
You crave it, then you complain of it.
Two words capture a cycle most people know: indulging in what we know disagrees with us, then lamenting the result, whether indigestion, a hangover or a sleepless night. Noticing the pattern is the first step. Try linking the craving to its consequence in advance by asking how you will feel in two hours. The answer often makes the choice easier.
Literal Gulping (jarʿ: swallowing in draughts) quenches more (arwā), and sipping (rashīf: drinking slowly with the lips) slakes more thoroughly (anqaʿ: satisfies deeply).
Deep draughts quench more quickly; slow sips slake more deeply.
Slowing down lets the body register what it has taken in. Eating and drinking quickly can lead to overconsumption before satiety signals catch up, while slow, attentive eating tends to bring more satisfaction from less. Set the fork down between bites, sip rather than gulp, and notice the taste. Mindful eating is less a diet than a pace.
Literal Travel is a portion (qiṭʿa: a piece cut off) of torment (ʿadhāb: suffering).
Travel is a portion of torment.
Travel disrupts sleep, meals, exercise and routine, and crossing time zones adds a circadian upheaval. Frequent travelers do best when they plan for recovery rather than expecting to perform normally: staying hydrated, seeking daylight at the destination, keeping meals regular and avoiding back-to-back commitments on arrival. Treat travel days as the physical strain they are.
Literal Herbage (baql: tender green plants) for a month, and thorns for an age (dahr: a long span of time).
A month of tender greens, an age of thorns.
Some pleasures are brief and their costs long-lasting. Smoking, heavy drinking, crash diets and chronic sleep deprivation can all feel rewarding in the short term while laying up years of consequences. When weighing a habit, look past the month of greens to the thorns that may follow.
Literal Drink and you will be sated (tashbaʿ); be wary (iḥdhar) and you will be safe (taslam); guard yourself (ittaqi) and you will be guarded (tuwaqqah).
Drink, and be nourished; take care, and stay safe; guard yourself, and be protected.
Three short commands that read like a preventive-health creed: nourish yourself, stay alert to risk, and take protective measures. Hydration, safety habits such as seatbelts and helmets, and preventive care such as vaccination and screening are the modern equivalents. Most protection comes from ordinary vigilance practiced consistently.
On friendship, in-laws, conflict, parenting, and love held in proportion.
113
إِذَا عَزَّ أَخُوكَ فَهُنْ
Idhā ʿazza akhūka fa-hun.
Literal When your brother is hard (ʿazza: becomes unyielding, domineering), be easy (hun: be pliant, yielding).
When your brother grows hard, be gentle.
When someone close to you digs in, matching their hardness escalates the conflict; softening lowers the temperature. The relationship researcher John Gottman found that the way a difficult conversation begins strongly predicts how it ends, and that harsh openings tend to doom the exchange. Yielding in the moment is not weakness, and the issue can be revisited once both of you are calm.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: Quoting Abū ʿUbayd, he explains that giving way to a friend is not humiliation but good character: ‘if he is difficult with you, be easy with him.’ He also gives al-Mufaḍḍal’s story of a raider who, when his men insisted on dividing the spoils at once, said this and gave in.
Literal Your brother is he who is truthful with you in counsel (ṣadaqaka al-naṣīḥa: gave you sincere advice).
Your true brother is the one who counsels you truthfully.
Real friendship includes the courage to say uncomfortable things. Flatterers are pleasant, but only honest counsel helps us grow. In leadership circles this is called ‘radical candor’: caring personally while challenging directly. A good friend shows you what you cannot see yourself, kindly and privately. Cherish the people who do this for you, and strive to be one.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He glosses it as honest counsel in matters of religion and worldly life, and cites the hadith ‘a man is his brother’s mirror’: when he sees something objectionable in him, he tells him and warns him off it.
Literal Love your beloved with some ease (hawnan mā: gently, in moderate measure).
Love your beloved with gentle restraint.
The fuller saying continues: he may one day become someone you dislike. Beyond self-protection, it warns against enmeshment, the kind of intense closeness in which identities blur and boundaries vanish. Therapists regard healthy relationships as combining deep connection with individual autonomy. Love that leaves room for two distinct people, each with their own friendships, interests and inner lives, tends to be more resilient.
Literal Indeed the mother-in-law (ḥamāh) is obsessed with the daughter-in-law (kanna), and her daughter-in-law is obsessed with suspicion (ẓinna).
The mother-in-law is fixed upon her son’s wife, and the son’s wife is fixed upon suspicion.
Proof that in-law tension is no modern invention. Each side’s anxiety feeds the other’s: a mother afraid of losing her place in her son’s life, a wife afraid of being judged or displaced. Family therapists often note that the spouse in the middle holds the key, standing as a united front with their partner while treating their parent with respect. Clear, kind boundaries serve everyone better than silent resentment.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He notes the ‘entrenched enmity’ between the two and says it is used for strife among people prone to it.
Literal Outward reproach (ʿitāb: loving rebuke between friends) is better than inward rancor (ḥiqd: a nursed grudge).
Reproach spoken openly is better than resentment harbored within.
Swallowed grievances do not disappear; they ferment into contempt, which Gottman identifies as one of the strongest predictors of relationship breakdown. Raising a complaint openly, specifically and kindly gives the other person a chance to repair. The Arabic ʿitāb implies loving reproach between intimates, not an attack. Describe the behavior and its effect on you rather than criticizing the other person’s character.
Literal Abundance of reproach bequeaths (tūrithu: leaves as inheritance) hatred (baghḍāʾ).
Too much reproach breeds hatred in the end.
The essential counterpart to the previous proverb. Speaking up is healthy; constant criticism is corrosive. Gottman’s research suggests that stable couples maintain a high ratio of positive to negative interactions, often cited as about five to one during conflict. If most of your exchanges are corrections, even valid ones, the relationship will feel like a courtroom. Choose your battles, and let appreciation be louder than complaint.
Literal Every man in his house is a boy (ṣabiyy: child).
In his own home, every man is a child.
Commonly understood as encouragement to be playful and unguarded with one’s family, however serious and composed one is in public. Home should be where status and roles relax. Shared play, laughter and silliness are among the simplest ways families bond, and children especially treasure the parent who gets down on the floor with them. Leave the boardroom at the door.
Literal Every girl (fatāh: young woman) is admiring of (muʿjaba: delighted with, proud of) her father.
Every daughter takes pride in her father.
A daughter’s view of her father carries unusual weight. Research on fathering suggests that warm, involved fathers contribute to their children’s self-esteem, emotional security and achievement, and daughters often draw on this early relationship in later ones. The practical takeaway is simple: be present, be consistent, and let her see that she is valued for who she is.
Literal A tender (raʾūm: affectionately attached, as a she-camel to her calf) wet-nurse (ẓiʾr) is better than a weary (saʾūm: soon tired, easily bored) mother.
A devoted nurse is better than a mother grown weary.
Read generously, this concerns the quality of care rather than its source: children thrive on patient, attuned attention. The modern lesson is not to shame tired parents, since caregiver exhaustion is real and extremely common. It is to recognize that a parent running on empty cannot give their best, and that accepting help from grandparents, partners, friends or childcare is often the most loving choice for the child.
Lā taṣḥab man lā yarā laka mina l-ḥaqqi mithla mā tarā lahu.
Literal Do not accompany one who does not see for you of right (ḥaqq: due, entitlement) the like of what you see for him.
Keep no company with one who does not grant you the rights you grant him.
Reciprocity is a reliable test of a healthy relationship. If you consistently give more respect, effort, attention or loyalty than you receive, resentment and exhaustion follow. Every relationship has ebbs and flows, but over time the balance should feel fair. The proverb gives you permission to step back from one-sided bonds and invest in those that give back.
Literal Visit at intervals (ghibban: every other day, with gaps between), you will increase in love.
Visit now and then, and love will grow.
Closeness needs breathing room to stay fresh. Even in marriage and close friendship, time apart, individual interests and respect for each other’s routines keep affection from wearing thin. The same wisdom applies to visiting relatives: often enough to stay connected, spaced enough to stay welcome. Absence, in measured doses, does make the heart grow fonder.
Literal Deliberately forget (tanāsa: make oneself forget) the faults (masāwī) of brethren; their affection (wudd) will endure for you.
Choose to forget your friends’ faults, and their affection will endure.
The verb tanāsa means deliberately forgetting, not failing to notice. Long friendships and marriages endure because both sides choose to let minor offenses go rather than keep a ledger. Research on forgiveness links it to better mental health and greater relationship satisfaction. This is not about tolerating mistreatment; it is about not letting small faults outweigh a great friendship.
Literal If you have the greater part of me, turn aside for me (tajāfa: pass over, withdraw) from the lesser part of me (aysar: the slighter portion).
If the greater part of me is yours, overlook the lesser.
No one is good all the time. If someone is mostly loyal, kind and dependable, judging them by an occasional lapse is both unfair and a quick way to lose them. Couples researchers describe a healthy pattern called positive sentiment override, in which a partner’s behavior is interpreted through the lens of their overall goodwill. Keep the greater part in view when the lesser part disappoints.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He says it is used for someone with admirable qualities who occasionally slips: bear with a friend you praise in most matters when he errs once in a while.
Literal If you have had to win your brother’s approval (taraḍḍayta: appeased him with effort, repeatedly), then you have no brother.
If you must forever win your brother over, you have no brother.
A relationship that requires constant appeasement is not truly a friendship. If you find yourself always managing someone’s moods, tiptoeing around them or earning back their approval, the dynamic is one-sided and possibly controlling. Healthy relationships survive occasional friction without demanding perpetual courtship. This proverb is a useful test for recognizing when a bond has become draining.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He explains taraḍḍī as winning someone over with effort and strain: if your brother forces you to keep appeasing and humoring him, he is not a brother to you.
Literal [Follow] the command of those who make you weep (mubkiyāt: feminine plural, the women who cause you tears), not the command of those who make you laugh.
Heed those who move you to tears, not those who move you to laughter.
The people who correct us, parents, teachers, mentors, often do more lasting good than those who only entertain us. Developmental psychologists describe the most effective parenting style as combining warmth with clear expectations and boundaries. The father in the story backs the aunts who disciplined his daughter over those who merely amused her. Children benefit from both laughter and structure, but structure is what lets them grow.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He tells al-Mufaḍḍal’s story of a girl whose maternal aunts amused her while her paternal aunts disciplined her; when she complained, her father answered with this line.
Literal Women are the counterparts (shaqāʾiq, sing. shaqīqa: each of two halves split from one whole; a full sibling) of men (aqwām).
Women are men’s counterparts, split from the same whole.
A shaqīqa is one of two halves split from a single whole, or a full sibling. The proverb frames men and women as counterparts of one origin, and the implication follows naturally: rights balanced by obligations. Marriage researchers consistently find that couples who share responsibility, respect and decision-making report greater satisfaction. The image here is partnership, not hierarchy.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He explains that women are like men and split from them, ‘so they have rights just as they have obligations.’ The same idea is known in Prophetic hadith (‘women are the counterparts of men’), though he does not present it as a hadith here.
Literal The choicest of you (khiyār) are the best of you to his family (ahl: household, spouse and kin).
The finest among you are those who are best to their families.
Character is measured at home, not on stage. It is easy to be generous and patient with colleagues and acquaintances; the real test is how we treat a spouse, children and parents when no one else is watching and we are tired. Family therapists often observe that people give their best selves to outsiders and their worst to loved ones. This saying reverses that order of priority.
Literal Indeed the rathīʾa (sour milk with fresh milk poured over it) quells (tafthaʾu: breaks the heat of, as cold water stops a pot boiling) anger.
A humble bowl of milk can cool a boiling temper.
A small, thoughtful gesture can defuse a tense situation. Couples therapists call these ‘bids’ and ‘repair attempts’: a cup of tea, a gentle touch, a lighthearted remark. They are often more powerful than lengthy discussion in turning a conflict around. The humble bowl of milk in the proverb is a reminder that repair need not be grand to be effective.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He explains rathīʾa as sour milk mixed with sweet, and tells of an angry, hungry guest whose temper settled once he was given some. He says it is used for a gift that brings harmony even if it is small.
Jalīsu s-sawʾi ka-l-qayn, in lam yuḥriq thawbaka dakhkhanah.
Literal The evil companion (jalīs: one you sit with) is like the smith (qayn: blacksmith); if he does not burn your garment, he blackens it with smoke (dakhkhanahu).
A bad companion is like the blacksmith: if he does not scorch your clothes, he leaves them reeking of smoke.
We absorb the habits, moods and values of the people we spend time with, often without noticing. Research on social networks suggests that behaviors such as smoking, and even patterns of happiness, spread through circles of friends. For parents, this is a reminder that children’s friendships deserve attention. For adults, it is an invitation to consider whose smoke is clinging to our clothes.
Literal Adornment (zayn: beauty) in the eye of a parent is his child.
In a parent’s eye, one’s own child is beauty itself.
Parental love sees the best in a child, and that loving gaze is part of how children build a secure sense of self-worth; it is one of love’s greatest gifts. The flip side is that parents can find it hard to see their child objectively. Teachers’ observations, pediatricians’ concerns and other outside perspectives are worth hearing with an open mind rather than as an attack.
Literal Hate the one you dislike (baghīḍ: object of dislike) with some ease (hawnan mā: in moderate measure).
Dislike whom you dislike with restraint.
The companion to ‘love your beloved with restraint’: the fuller saying continues, he may one day become your beloved. People change, and today’s adversary may be tomorrow’s ally, colleague or in-law. Avoid burning bridges, keep disagreements proportionate, and leave room for reconciliation.
Literal Your love of a thing makes [you] blind (yuʿmī) and makes [you] deaf (yuṣimm).
Love of a thing can leave you blind and deaf.
Infatuation hides warning signs, which is why choosing a spouse in the first flush of attraction is risky. The same blindness affects parents who cannot see a child’s faults and friends who excuse each other’s harmful behavior. Before major commitments, seek trusted outside perspectives, and listen to them.
Literal Many a brother you have whom your mother did not bear.
Many a brother of yours was never born to your mother.
Some of our deepest bonds are chosen rather than inherited. For people far from family, estranged from relatives or simply blessed with close friends, ‘chosen family’ can be a profound source of support. Invest in these friendships with the same commitment you would give to kin.
Literal The companion (rafīq: travel companion) before the road.
Choose your companion before you choose your road.
Whom you travel with matters as much as where you go. This applies to choosing a spouse, a business partner, a roommate or a mentor. Shared values, temperament and reliability will shape the journey more than the route. Take time to know someone well before setting out together.
Literal A secret (sirr) is a trust (amāna: something entrusted, to be safeguarded).
A secret is a trust held in safekeeping.
Confidentiality is the foundation of trust in every close relationship. The Prophet taught that when someone tells you something and then glances around, it is a trust. Couples, friends and family members need to know that what is shared in confidence stays there. Breaking that trust, even casually, can do lasting damage.
Literal Be magnanimous (ismaḥ: easygoing, generous, lenient) and leniency will be shown to you.
Be gracious, and grace will be shown to you.
Generosity of spirit tends to be returned. The Prophet prayed for God’s mercy on the person who is easygoing when buying, selling and asking for what is owed. In families, this means not insisting on every right, overlooking small debts and making room for others’ imperfections. Leniency given becomes leniency received.
Literal The worst of your brethren is the one you do not reproach (tuʿātib: lovingly rebuke, take to task).
Your worst friend is the one you no longer bother to reproach.
Indifference can be more telling than conflict. We reproach those we care about because we still expect something of them; when we stop, the relationship may be dying. Gottman’s research identifies withdrawal and stonewalling as warning signs. If you no longer bother to raise concerns with someone close, ask what has changed.
Literal The worst of intimate friends (akhillāʾ, sing. khalīl) is a friend whom a slanderer (wāshin: tale-bearer, one who embellishes gossip) turns away.
The worst of friends is one a gossip can turn against you.
A friendship that collapses at the first rumor was never solid. Family therapists call one destructive pattern ‘triangulation,’ in which a third party carries tales between two others. When you hear something troubling about a friend or relative, go to them directly before believing it, and expect the same courtesy in return.
Literal Guard (ḥāfiẓ: preserve, remain faithful to) the friend, even in the fire (ḥarīq: conflagration).
Stand by your friend, even through the fire.
Loyalty is proven in crisis. Friends who show up during illness, bereavement, divorce or job loss form the bonds that last a lifetime. The rhyme makes the commitment memorable: when a friend’s house is burning, that is precisely when to stay.
Literal In proportion to the joy (surūr) of union (tawāṣul: mutual closeness) is the anguish (ḥasra: grief, regret) of separation (tafāṣul: parting).
The sorrow of parting is measured by the joy of being together.
Grief is the price of love. The deeper the bond, the more painful its loss, whether through death, divorce, distance or estrangement. Grief counselors often reassure the bereaved that intense sorrow reflects the strength of the connection, not weakness. Honor the grief as a testament to what was shared.
On expertise, feedback, mentors, failure, reliability, and leadership.
143
أَعْطِ القَوْسَ بَارِيَهَا
Aʿṭi l-qawsa bāriyahā.
Literal Give the bow to its carver (bārī: the one who shapes and pares the bow).
Give the bow to the one who shaped it.
Put work in the hands of those who know it best. For managers, this is the essence of good delegation and hiring: match tasks to genuine expertise rather than availability or seniority. For individuals, it is a career strategy: build skills so deep and specific that you become the obvious person to hand the bow to. Specialists in demand rarely have to chase opportunities.
Literal At the wager (rihān: a race with stakes), the forerunners (sawābiq: horses that take the lead) are known.
On race day, the true champions are revealed.
Credentials, résumés and self-promotion only go so far; real ability shows under pressure. Product launches, client crises, tight deadlines and high-stakes presentations are the modern race days on which reputations are made. Prepare for these moments deliberately, because they shape how others see you far more than routine work does. When the race comes, be ready to run.
Literal A man will never perish who knows his measure (qadr: worth, rank, capacity).
No one who knows his own worth will come to ruin.
Accurate self-knowledge protects in both directions: against overreaching into roles you are not ready for, and against underselling yourself in negotiations and applications. Leadership research consistently highlights self-awareness as a foundation of effectiveness. Build it through feedback, reflection and honest self-assessment, and revisit it regularly, because your measure changes as you grow.
Literal The one who consults (mushāwir) will never lack (yaʿdam) a guide (murshid: one who shows the right way).
Whoever seeks counsel will never be without a guide.
Asking for advice is a skill, not a weakness. Research on advice-seeking suggests that people who ask thoughtful questions are often perceived as more competent, not less. Those who habitually consult others build networks of mentors almost automatically, and such networks shape careers. Make a habit of putting one well-framed question to an experienced person each month.
Literal May God have mercy on one who presented to me (ahdā: gave as a gift) my faults.
God’s mercy on whoever brings me my faults as a gift.
Often attributed to the caliph ʿUmar, this reframes criticism as a gift, precisely the stance modern leadership coaches recommend. Feedback is uncomfortable, but it is the fastest route to growth, and people stop offering it to those who react defensively. Invite it actively: ask ‘What is one thing I could do better?’ and respond with thanks, even when it stings.
Literal For every sharp blade (ṣārim) a rebound (nabwa: glancing off without cutting), for every noble steed (jawād) a stumble (kabwa), and for every learned man (ʿālim) a lapse (hafwa).
Every keen blade may glance aside, every fine steed may stumble, every scholar may slip.
Even the best fail sometimes: the finest blade glances off, the noblest horse stumbles, the scholar slips. Treating mistakes as a normal part of skilled work is central to what organizational researchers call psychological safety, which studies have linked to stronger team learning and performance. Leaders who acknowledge their own errors make it safer for others to surface theirs early.
Literal In experiences (tajārib: trials, tests) is knowledge newly begun (mustaʾnaf: renewed, freshly acquired).
Experience yields knowledge ever new.
Much professional learning happens on the job rather than in the classroom, a point popularized in corporate development as the 70-20-10 model. Every project, including the failures, teaches something no course can. Make the learning explicit: after significant work, run a short review of what went well, what did not and what you would do differently. Experience becomes expertise when it is examined.
Literal Every one racing (mujrī: one who runs his horse) in empty land (khalāʾ: open ground with no rival) is pleased.
Every rider who races alone is pleased with himself.
Without competition or benchmarks, anyone can believe they are excellent. Psychologists have documented how people with limited skill in an area often overestimate their ability, precisely because they lack a standard to measure against. Seek genuine comparison: peer review, customer feedback, competitive analysis and honest metrics. Racing against others is humbling, but it is the only way to learn your true speed.
Literal The bane (āfa: blight) of manly virtue (murūʾa: honor, integrity of character) is breaking the appointment (khulf al-mawʿid: failing to keep a promise).
Broken promises are the blight of honor.
Reliability is the currency of professional reputation. Missed deadlines and broken commitments erode trust faster than talent can rebuild it, and trust, once lost, is expensive to recover. The durable advice is to under-promise and over-deliver: be conservative in your commitments, keep them scrupulously, and communicate early if something is slipping.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He attributes the saying to ʿAwf al-Kalbī.
Literal For some matter (li-amrin mā: for some reason or quality) does he who leads lead (yasūdu: attains chieftaincy, sayyid-ship).
It is for a reason that whoever rises to lead, leads.
Leadership is rarely accidental. People rise because of qualities others recognize: sound judgment, generosity, courage, composure under pressure and the ability to bring others along. Rather than envying those who lead, study them. What do they do consistently that others do not? Most of those qualities can be learned.
Literal Putting at ease (īnās: making familiar, calming) before coaxing (ibsās: soothing a she-camel with ‘bas, bas’ to let down her milk).
Win trust before you ask for the milk.
Build rapport before you ask for anything. In sales, negotiation, fundraising and management, trust must precede the request. The image is of a herder calming a camel before milking. Take time to understand the other person’s needs and establish goodwill; requests made on a foundation of relationship are far more likely to be granted.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He explains ibsās as soothing a camel with ‘bas, bas’ when milking it, and says the proverb is used for being amiable when asking something of someone.
Literal If a side (jānib: direction, quarter) wearies you (aʿyāka: defeats, exhausts), then join another side.
If one path defeats you, take another.
When a path is blocked, pivot rather than keep battering the same wall. Careers are rarely linear, and many successful professionals change direction several times. Persistence is valuable, but persistence in the wrong direction is waste. When progress stalls repeatedly, step back and ask whether a different route, role, sector or approach might get you where you want to go.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He says it is used when things are tight, to urge resourcefulness, likening it to the line ‘the noble man has room to roam on earth.’
Literal The first of raiding (ghazw: military expedition) is clumsy (akhraq: unskillful, inept).
Every first campaign is clumsy.
First attempts are nearly always awkward; competence comes with repetition. This is permission to be bad at something new, whether a first presentation, a first management role or a first venture. It is also counsel for leaders: do not judge a new hire or a new initiative solely by its first outing. Leave room for the clumsy first campaign.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: Quoting Abū ʿUbayd, he says it is used for lack of experience, and cites verses likening war at its outset to a young woman who beguiles the ignorant.
Literal Indeed with multitude comes mutual abandonment (takhādhul: each leaving the other unsupported), and with fewness, cohesion (tamāsuk: holding together).
In great numbers, men fail one another; in small numbers, they hold fast.
Larger groups tend to diffuse responsibility, as each member assumes someone else will act, while small teams hold together. Psychologists call this social loafing, and it is one reason many organizations favor small, autonomous teams. Keep teams as small as the task allows, assign clear ownership, and make individual contributions visible.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He says it refers to the size of an army.
Literal The fortunate one (saʿīd: happy, blessed) is he who is admonished (wuʿiẓa: warned, taught a lesson) through another.
Blessed is the one who takes his lesson from others.
Other people’s mistakes are the cheapest education available. Case studies, post-mortems, biographies and mentors’ stories let you gain experience without paying its full price. Make it a habit: when a colleague or competitor stumbles, ask what led to it and how you would avoid the same trap. The wise learn from their own experience; the wiser learn from everyone’s.
Literal The fruit of self-admiration (ʿujb: vanity, conceit) is detestation (maqt: intense dislike from others).
The fruit of vanity is contempt.
Arrogance costs goodwill, and goodwill is what careers run on. Leadership research has found that humility combined with strong determination characterizes many highly effective leaders. Competence paired with humility travels much further than competence alone, because people want to work with, promote and help those who make them feel respected.
Literal The best of wealth is a wakeful spring (ʿayn: a spring of water, also an eye) for a sleeping eye (ʿayn).
The best wealth is a spring that stays awake while its owner sleeps.
A pun on ʿayn, meaning both ‘spring’ and ‘eye’: the best asset keeps producing while its owner sleeps. It is an early description of what we now call passive or compounding income: investments, royalties, systems and businesses that generate value without constant labor. Building such assets, even modest ones, is a central principle of long-term financial independence.
Literal A clattering (jaʿjaʿa: the grinding noise of a millstone) and I see no flour (ṭiḥn: ground meal).
I hear the millstone roar, but I see no flour.
Much noise, no output. It is the classic critique of endless meetings, grand announcements and strategy decks that never become results. Measure progress by outputs rather than activity: what has actually been delivered this week? Leaders who ask to see the flour, not hear the millstone, build cultures of execution.
Literal The best of understanding (fiqh: comprehension, learning) is what you have present with you (ḥāḍarta bihi: can produce readily in an encounter).
The best knowledge is the knowledge you have at hand.
Knowledge you cannot retrieve when it is needed is of limited use. Learning science shows that practicing retrieval, testing yourself rather than rereading, strengthens memory far more than passive review. Rehearse key facts, arguments and skills until you can produce them on the spot, in the meeting, the interview or the negotiation. That is what turns learning into expertise.
Literal The bane (āfa: blight) of knowledge is forgetfulness.
Forgetting is the blight of knowledge.
Learning that is not reviewed fades, often quickly; memory research going back to Hermann Ebbinghaus describes a steep ‘forgetting curve’ without review. Spaced repetition, teaching others and regular application are the most effective ways to keep knowledge alive. Set aside a little time each week to revisit what you have learned, so your expertise does not quietly leak away.
Al-Maydānī’s explanation: He quotes the genealogist al-Bakrī: knowledge has a bane, which is forgetting it; a blight, which is lying about it; a disgrace, which is spreading it among the unfit; and a hunger, which is never being sated with it.
Literal Fasten your hands upon his stirrup (gharz: the leather stirrup of a camel saddle).
Hold fast to his stirrup.
The phrase is famously associated with Abū Bakr, who at Ḥudaybiya counseled ʿUmar to hold fast to the Prophet’s stirrup. In career terms, when you find a mentor or leader of genuine integrity and wisdom, stay close, learn and follow their lead even when you do not yet understand every decision. The right mentor can shape a career more than any course.
Literal True performance (ṣidq: genuineness in deed, as in combat) announces you (yunbiʾu ʿanka: speaks on your behalf), not threats (waʿīd: menacing boasts).
Your genuine deeds announce you, not your threats.
Bluster, ultimatums and grand claims impress few people for long; delivered results speak for themselves. In negotiations, competitive markets and workplace politics, reputation is built on demonstrated capability. Let your track record do the talking.
Literal The worst of speech is excess (ifrāṭ: exaggeration, overstepping bounds).
The worst speech is overstatement.
Exaggeration erodes credibility. Inflated résumés, overhyped product claims and optimistic forecasts eventually meet reality, and trust suffers. Professionals who speak with precision, and who acknowledge uncertainty, are believed when it matters.
Literal The best of your wealth is what benefited you.
Your best wealth is what actually serves you.
Wealth is valuable for what it does, not what it is. In career terms, invest in what yields real returns: skills, health, relationships and well-chosen assets. Money spent on growth is well spent; money accumulated without purpose sits idle.
Literal Beware of that for which apology is made (yuʿtadharu minhu: that which requires an excuse).
Avoid anything you will later need to apologize for.
A simple filter for professional conduct: if you would need to explain or excuse it later, don’t do it now. It applies to angry emails, careless remarks, cut corners and ethical gray areas. Reputations take years to build and moments to damage.
Literal The handiwork of one who is skilled (ṭabba: expert, practiced) for one whom he loves (ḥabba).
Work of a master, made for one he loves.
The finest work comes when skill meets care. A hadith teaches that God loves, when one of you does a piece of work, that he does it with excellence (itqān). Treat clients, colleagues and users as you would someone you love, and craftsmanship follows naturally.
Literal The opinion of the elder (shaykh) is better than the presence (mashhad: attendance, being on the scene) of the youth (ghulām).
An elder’s counsel outweighs a young man’s presence on the field.
Energy and presence matter, but experienced judgment often matters more. Organizations that pair seasoned advisers with energetic younger teams get the best of both. Early in your career, seek out the counsel of veterans; later, offer yours generously.
Literal Compete (zāḥim: jostle for place) with a seasoned camel (ʿawd: an aged, experienced camel) or leave [the contest].
Compete with seasoned strength, or stay out of the contest.
Enter competitive arenas properly equipped, or not at all. Before pitching a major client, launching a product or applying for a senior role, make sure you have the experience, allies or backing to compete. Half-prepared bids waste effort and reputation.
Literal Only the hide (adīm: leather) that still has its outer surface (bashara: the grain side of the skin) is worked over again (yuʿātabu: re-tanned, corrected).
Only leather with its grain intact is worth working again.
Feedback is an investment, and it is wisest where there is something to work with: receptivity and potential. Managers and mentors spend their coaching effort on people who can still grow. If you are receiving tough feedback, take it as a sign that someone believes you are worth the effort.
Literal The first of prudence (ḥazm: firm foresight) is consultation (mashūra: seeking counsel).
Prudence begins with seeking counsel.
Good decisions start with good input. Even the Prophet was commanded, ‘and consult them in the matter’ (3:159). Before major career moves or strategic decisions, consult people with relevant experience and differing perspectives. Consultation does not surrender the decision; it improves it.