Tuesday, May 19, 2026

A wolf entered upon you, a wolf. أخل إليك ذئب أزل

 The proverb "Ask yourself, you wolf" is used to warn a man. It means "Mind your own business." Al-Ja'di said:

"And that is one of the blows of death, so mind your own business and do not be surprised." The meaning of the proverb is: Mind your own business, for this is a wolf. It is used as a warning to a man. It is also narrated as "Ask yourself," meaning "Be alone." It is said, "I was alone," meaning I was alone and I left someone else alone. It can be transitive or intransitive. Ghani ibn Malik al-'Uqayli said: "I came to Layla with the young men, but I did not leave, so I was alone, and she became speechless in my solitude." His saying "to you" means "Mind your own business and your own affairs, for this is a wolf." "Azal" refers to someone who has no flesh on his thighs or hips, which makes him walk faster.

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 The closest English equivalent to this proverb is:

Look out — there’s a wolf about.

Meaning: Beware, danger is near.

Because the Arabic proverb contains a warning and alert to a swift and dangerous enemy, another close English equivalent is:

Keep your guard up.

Or:

Beware of a lean wolf.

This last one is very close to the original meaning, because the "lean wolf" is the lean, swift, and most dangerous wolf in its running and predation.

A similar proverb is:

Danger lurks nearby.

Meaning: Danger lurks near you, so be careful.

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يقال للرجل: أخل إليك. أي الزم شأنك. قال الجعدي:

وذلك من وقعات المنـو
ن فاخلي إليك ولا تعجبي
وتقدير المثل: الزم شأنك فهذا ذئب أزل. يضرب في التحذير للرجل. ويروى: أخل إليك، أي كن خالياً. يقال: أخليت، أي خلوت وأخليت غيري. يتعدى ولا يتعدى. قال غني بن مالك العقيلي:
أتيت مع الحداث ليلى فلم أبـن
فاخليت فاستعجمت عند خلائي
أي خلوت. وقوله: إليك، يريد أخل ضاما إليك أمرك وشأنك فإن هذا ذئب أزل. والأزل، الذي لا لحم على فخذيه ولا وركيه، وذلك أسرع له في المشي.

 

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مميزة

The best people are those of the middle path; خير الناس هذا النمط الأوسط

  that is, between those who are negligent and those who are excessive. --------------------------------------------------------------------...