More cunning than Qays ibn Zuhayr أدهى من قيس بن زهير

He was the chief of the Abs tribe, and many things were said about his cunning: Among them, when he passed through the land of Ghatafan and saw wealth and a large number of people, he disliked it. Al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad al-Absi said to him, "What pleases people displeases you." He replied, "My nephew, you do not know that with wealth and blessings come envy, hatred, and betrayal, while with scarcity comes mutual support, cooperation, and solidarity." Another of his sayings to his people was: "Beware of the pitfalls of injustice, the scandals of treachery, and the slips of the tongue in jest." He also said: "Four are unbearable: a slave who is a king, a satiated scoundrel, a slave woman who inherits, and an ugly woman who marries." He also said: "Speech is public, silence is private." And he said: "The fruit of obstinacy is confusion, the fruit of haste is regret, the fruit of conceit is hatred, and the fruit of procrastination is humiliation."
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The proverb "More cunning than Qays ibn Zuhayr" is used to describe a man of exceptional shrewdness, wisdom, sound judgment, and foresight.
Qays ibn Zuhayr was a leader of the Abs tribe, renowned among the Arabs for his intelligence and shrewdness, to the point that his name became synonymous with cunning.
Some English equivalents include:
As cunning as a fox.
Wise as a serpent.
A master strategist.
He is nobody's fool.
Sharp as a tack.
If the proverb emphasizes political acumen or sound judgment beyond mere intelligence, the best equivalent is:
"A master strategist."
But if the intention is to convey both cunning and shrewdness, then the closest equivalent is:
"As cunning as a fox."
This is a well-known English proverb that corresponds to the Arabic saying: "More cunning than Qays ibn Zuhayr."
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هو سيد عبس وذكر من دهائه أشياء كثيرة : منها أنه مر ببلاد غطفان فرأى ثروة وعديدا فكره ذلك فقال له الربيع ابن زياد العبسي : إنه يسوءك ما يسر الناس فقال له : يا ابن أخي إنك لا تدري أن مع الثروة والنعمة التحاسد والتباغض والتخاذل وأن مع القلة التعاضد والتوازر والتناصر . ومنها قوله لقومه : إياكم وصرعات البغي وفضحات الغدر وفلتات المزح . وقوله : أربعة لا يطاقون : عبد ملك ونذل شبع وأمة ورثت وقبيحة تزوجت . وقوله : المنطق مشهرة والصمت مستترة . وقوله : ثمرة اللجاجة الحيرة وثمرة العجلة الندامة وثمرة العجب البغضة وثمرة التواني الذلة