Table of Contents
70 Arabic proverbs, We will speak about the Arabic proverbs in this article The first reference to the Arabs was found in Assyrian texts dating back to the eighth century BC.
The term Arabs came as a reference to the inhabitants of the Badia in southern Iraq and the Levant, meaning the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula.
It has been known from historical monuments and the emergence of Arab kingdoms, including the Kingdom of Lahyan in the fourth century BC and the Kingdom of Kinda in the second century BC.
The origins of the Arabs, in general, can be traced back to the Arabian Peninsula.
They are found today in the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Iraq, the Nile Valley, and the Maghreb in general.
There are Arab minorities in the border areas that included neighboring countries such as Ahwaz and southern Turkey (Arab Turkey).
There are also significant minorities in Eritrea and Chad, and there are also significant numbers of Arabs in the countries of the Diaspora, representing in some of these countries a large proportion, especially Latin America.
And due to the ancient history of this great history, many writers have grown up among the Arab community who have long issued proverbs that were solutions to great problems.
proverbs were not limited to poets only but were received by the common people.
Popular Arabic proverbs
- We remained silent, he had an income with his donkey:
This proverb is a metaphor for the person who allows him some things, whether it is your colleague at work or one of your relatives.
So this person covets more to the extent that he exceeds his limits. As for the meaning of that popular proverb that when you allow someone to enter your home, He brings his donkey with you, which is a metaphor for greed.
- Like the scorpion, its pinch, and the grave.
This proverb is a sign of the extent of severe harm of one of them.
The analogy to a scorpion is because a scorpion is known for its sting to be fatal.
- A narrow place accommodates 100 friends.
No matter how narrow the place is, it accommodates the lovers together to the point where they will not be upset by the space constraints.
For even if this place was as narrow as a burrow, the lovers would not feel its constriction. Because the spaciousness of their chests made them feel the spaciousness of the place.
- Sleep like a dog and be a lion in the morning.
This parable is one of the most famous ancient proverbs that people use to tell each other about the necessity of diligence and hard work.
That is so that in the future their condition will be better than before.
This proverb means that you must strive at work even if it humiliates you at the moment.
As long as in the end you will become much better and your financial situation will change for the better.
- The house is our father’s house, and strangers drive us away.
This proverb means that the owners of the place or the house are being expelled from people who are strangers to the place or who are exposed to the occupation of their country.
This proverb is a metaphor for some people transgressing their borders and giving themselves a status they do not deserve.
- Everything is free, get a lot of it.
Meaning that the thing that you can get for free without any return, then you should increase it.
It is like spoil and there is no harm in taking a lot of it.
- Ruler’s son is an orphan.
The ruler is a prestigious job always in different eras.
The sons of the ruler in the eyes of the people are among the best people because they are luxurious and can get what they desire with ease.
But what we overlook is that the ruler can be removed from office at any time and under any circumstance.
After that, his son becomes an orphan, especially when he does not master any of the trades that enable him to earn his livelihood by himself.
- Like chickens, his livelihood is under his feet.
Chickens can easily find their food while walking on the ground without making any effort to get their food.
People who easily find their livelihood are likened to chickens; For easy livelihood.
- Time to eat and drink on it.
It strikes the long-lived, meaning that he ate and drank for a long time.
- He knows where to eat the shoulder
It hits the shrewd man.
- The straw that broke the camel’s back.
The proverb means that a simple matter that has no value can lead to dangerous consequences and disastrous consequences.
- Because the cat has missed, mouse play.
The proverb strikes when a person finds a favorable opportunity to do what he wants to do in seclusion, away from accountability and restraint.
- The sword preceded the humiliation.
The proverb is given when something has missed or happened, and there is no way to respond or correct it.
- He who does not know the falcon distorts it.
This proverb is said to a person who does something he does not know or to a person who does something strange in a craft or work that he does not know about.
- If there was good in it, the bird would have thrown it.
This parable is said to the one who wants to take something that someone has left before him because the thing left is no good in it, so its owner dispensed with it.
- The living gives you life, and the dead increases your injustice.
The meaning of this proverb is that a smart person relaxes you and removes your worry as if he brings you back to life, while a lazy and foolish person increases your tiredness and delusion
- The height is the length of a palm tree, and the mind is the mind of a sheep.
This is a reprimanding example that is said to the tall foolish person, for he is tall as a palm tree, and his mind is like the mind of a sheep.
- Whoever goes out of his home, say the amount.
Yes, the best place for a person is his home, and whoever leaves his home does not find comfort and experiences nothing but fatigue, humiliation, and misery.
- He who does not know you will value you.
Indeed, the person who did not live with you and did not try your character does not give you your right and does not appreciate your position.
- Spanking of the dead is forbidden.
It indicates that there is no point in beating and insulting a person who does not feel or suffer, because he is like a dead person, and so hitting and speaking about him are useless.
- He who has daughters has a great income.
That is, the person who has daughters is lucky more than others because girls are more affectionate than boys.
- O you who neglects prayers, you will die.
It means that every person who does not pray must return to his prayer and repent to his Lord because death comes suddenly and does not give an opportunity for repentance.
- My father brought me down and my husband raised me up:
Like a girl says when she forcibly marries without obeying her family.
- His sister is in a hangover and works as a clerk.
The proverb goes to the boy with bad manners who claims to be good and they have such a bad amount that his sister spends half her time drinking alcohol.
- Engage your daughter before she addresses your son
I mean, you should always strive to marry off their daughters before the boys, because the concern that the girl carries remains until the death of the parents.
- Wedding people crave broth
This example strikes when the family situation of one of the parties to the marriage is extremely difficult.
- love a deer, otherwise do not love.
That is, when you want to get married, I am looking for a beautiful and good-looking wife, otherwise beware of getting married.
- You will be healthy if you slow down and regret if you hurry.
It means that you have to slow down in all areas of your life so that you do not regret it in the end when you speed up because there are many mistakes in speed.
- An excuse is more acceptable than sin.
The proverb occurs when an infamous act is justified by a cause and that reason is never convincing.
- Betrayal is like death, irreversible.
It means that you have to think 100 times before you betray anyone, whether it is a lover, a friend or even a brother, because he will not treat you as he was before the betrayal.
- He who steals an egg can steal a camel.
That is, meaning that theft is theft in the end and is considered a sin, and the thief must be punished regardless of what the stolen was and what it was.
- Your news is transmitted only to those who enter your home.
It means that you have to be careful of all your guests, as there is the type of guests who divulge the secrets of your home
This type should be avoided.
- Birds of a feather flock together.
It means that birds are distinguished mainly by their shapes, as each bird has a distinct appearance.
- Deeds are better than words.
It means that people wait for actions and do not become acquainted with words until they become a result in front of them. Sayings are useless if they are not accompanied by actions they prove.
- Union is strength
In other words, the greater the number of the group united, the greater their strength
The union is strength, This example has a great story
The story of the wise man with his sons,
The disease sat the father and lay on his deathbed
He summoned his ten sons and asked them all to come to see them and give them advice.
The children attended in fulfillment of their father’s wishes.
The father gave the first son a stick and asked him to break it,
So the son broke the stick with ease
Then he gave the second son a stick and asked him to break it, so he broke it easily.
And he asked the third and fourth son until he reached the tenth son, and he did as his brothers did,
Then the father brought ten of the sticks and tied them together to form a bundle, and then asked the first son to break the bundle
He could not,
Then he asked the second person to break it and he failed.
Likewise, from the third and fourth son until he reached the tenth, they all failed and were unable to break this bundle,
The children were surprised by their father’s behavior, as they were ignorant of the significance of the request.
This is my will for you.
In union, strength, and victory.
Common Arabic proverbs treat many problems in life
- Necessity is the mother of invention.
That is, all inventions in the world would not have been invented were they not needed at all.
- Wasteland bread is better than nothing.
This proverb is very common among the poor, who prefer a loaf of bread to an empty stomach.
- Buying is better than borrowing.
I mean, always make sure to own the object instead of borrowing it, in order to avoid embarrassment.
- Contentment is an indestructible treasure
That is, to be content with your life is a beautiful and great thing, it is a treasure that few people have.
- Loneliness is better than a bad friend.
It means being alone without friends isolated in your room is much better than bad friends who fill your life with negative feelings.
- You will not get grapes from thorns.
This example strikes when the causes and effects are mixed, which is that all causes have specific results that do not change, so you will not find grapes between thorns.
- There is no female camel for me with no male camel
This example strikes when you want to withdraw from a job because this work will not be beneficial, but rather it may be negative.
- If he gets angry at you, the worst of people will deny your favors.
This example strikes the worst kind of people in society, this person who always reveals your secrets and says everything bad against you when there is any dispute between you.
- Respect, be respected, give you charity.
I mean, always be a positive person in the community so that everyone respects you and always helps the poor get a living in your life.
- The moment the wedding was over, the old man came to dance.
The proverb is set for the person who is always late to appointments and never adheres to the specified time in most of his appointments. The example depicts the person who comes to dance after the wedding ceremony ends.
- ??I fast I fast and break my fast an onion.
The proverb is set with very hard and tiring work which results in very little compared to the fatigue he expended
It is not reasonable to fast for a long time and eat an onion at the end.
- They accuse people of a defect, while they are full of blemish.
The proverb is set for people who accuse people of shame and wrong while they are completely possessed of error and seldom do anything right in their lives.
- titi titi like you went as you came back.
The proverb is set for a person who does not change his habits, behavior, or anything in their life over time.
- The boy’s mother deserves to be honored.
That is, a woman who gives birth to a boy should be given the Medal of Honor.
More Popular Arabic Proverbs
- Not choosing is the worst choice.
It means that when you are forced to choose and all the options are difficult.
It is better to choose one of them than not to choose because, with your choice, you can be successful with your answer, but without choosing, your ally will definitely fail.
- The child knows his mother from her smile.
That is, the mother’s smile is the way to her child and is the hallmark of his life that distinguishes it among all women
- The wife cares about your pockets before your faults.
That is, when you have a lot of money, your wife will not look at your faults or blame you for them because the existence of money overwhelms the wife’s thinking.
- Mother-in-law who loves son-in-law is one of the wonders of life.
This means that it is very rare to find a mother-in-law who loves her son-in-law to the point of classifying it as a living miracle.
- You give a kiss to the hand of your mother-in-law so that your times will love you.
That is, you have to love your wife’s mother in order for your wife to love you.
- Link a horse between donkeys learns to bray.
By setting an example when placing positive good things among negative bad things
It will turn into negative
It is like putting a bad apple in a good apple box, then only a bad apple will come out.
- A cat loves someone who suffocates him.
The person who always seeks things that harm him even if he is aware of it.
- The lying rope is short.
It means that the liar is often detected quickly because the lie appears automatically in speech without attention.
- When misfortune, a friend is known.
You may have a group of friends, but the real one you know when you get into trouble will help you.
He is the one who deserves to be called a friend.
- Better to have a few friends than a cart full of cash.
Friends are always much better than money because true friends always stay with you, unlike money, it will be gone.
- Time is like a sword if you do not cut it, it will cut you.
It means that you invest your time well before you pass out and are not used to being able to do what you were thinking of doing, which makes you feel sorry.
- The world is like saltwater, the more you drink, the more thirsty you become.
In other words, the older I get in this life, the more difficulties and challenges it faces
This is the nature of life.
- As much as we love, people love us.
I mean, as much as your respectful dealings with people, you will receive something like that and maybe more.
- Forbidden is desirable
The forbidden thing is always desirable, and they have not found a scientific explanation for this thing yet
- Hide your white money for your black day.
That is, always save your excess cash for other days you will be in desperate need
- Treason arises because of trust.
It’s blind confidence, where your confidence must be moderate and mildly suspicious, meaning not to give absolute freedom.
- The mistake is owned by the urgent.
That is, the person who is urgent always makes serious mistakes, so he must be patient.
- The stick to one who disobeys.
That is, he who disobeys deserves to be struck by sticks until he stops disobeying.
- A woman is the sweetest gift that God has bestowed upon a man.
That is, all females, whether your mother, sister, or wife, are a gift from our Creator.
- How difficult is it for a woman to keep a secret?
Not only difficult, but it is also impossible
Women always speak secrets.
- Two are at risk of women’s makeup and glass.
Because glass may break quickly and make-up disappears with just a light wipe on the face.
This is only a small part of the history of the Arabs, which is very rich in useful Arabic proverbs.