Sunday, May 10, 2026

If your people wrong you, the moon will not.......إن يبغ عليك قومك لا يبغ عليك القمر

 
Al-Mufaddal ibn Muhammad said: We have heard that the Banu Tha'labah ibn Sa'd ibn Dabbah, in pre-Islamic times, made a wager on the sun and the moon on the fourteenth night. One group said, "The sun will rise," so they agreed on a man to judge between them. One of them said, "My people are wronging me." He replied, "Justice is that your people wrong you, not the moon." This became a proverb, and "wronging" here means injustice. He is saying: If your people wrong you, the moon will not wrong you. Consider this, and the matter and the truth will become clear to you. This proverb is used for a well-known issue.

Some of the closest English expressions are:

“Facts are stubborn things.”

Meaning: Facts are stubborn and cannot be changed.

“The truth will come out.”

Meaning: The truth will eventually come to light.

“You can’t argue with the facts.”

“The moon doesn’t lie.”

Not a very common proverb, but a literary translation that captures the spirit of the saying.

And the closest English proverb in terms of popular meaning and usage is:

“Facts don’t lie.”

Facts do not lie.

 

قال المفضل بن محمد: بلغنا أن بني ثعلبة بن سعد بن ضبة في الجاهلية تراهنوا على الشمس والقمر ليلة أربع عشرة. فقالت طائفة: تطلع الشمس فتراضوا برجل جعلوه بينهم فقال رجل منهم: إن قومي يبغون علي؛ فقال: العدل أن يبغ عليك قومك لا يبغ عليك القمر. فذهب مثلاً هذا كلامه، والبغي الظلم. يقول: إن ظلمك قومك لا يظلمك القمر فانظر يتبين لك الأمر والحق. يضرب، للأمر المشهور.

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