A wolf among goats and an ostrich in the test. ذِيبَةُ مِعْزىً وظَلِيمٌ في الْخُبْرِ

The plural of goat is *ma'z*, *ma'iz*, and *mi'za*. The alif in *mi'za* is for the sake of rhyme, like *hijra'*, *hibla'*, and *dirham*. Its diminutive is *mu'iz*. *Al-khubr* is a noun derived from *ikhtibar* (test). The proverb says: He is as cunning as a wolf among goats, and as sly as an ostrich in testing: if told to fly, he says, "I am a camel," and if told to carry, he says, "I am a bird." This proverb is used to describe a deceitful and cunning person.
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The closest English equivalent to this proverb is:
A wolf in sheep's clothing.
This perfectly captures the aspect of cunning and hidden deceit.
And because the Arabic proverb also focuses on changing colors, evading, and dodging according to self-interest, a similar expression is:
He plays both sides.
That is, he changes colors according to what benefits him.
Similarly:
A sly fox.
Or:
He twists to suit the occasion.
For the full meaning—deception, cunning, and evading through trickery—one can say:
A cunning trickster who changes colors when tested.
This is similar to the image of an ostrich that doesn't remain steadfast when tested.
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يقال في جمع الماعز : مَعْز ومَعِيز ومِعْزىً والألف في مِعْزىً للإلحاق بفِعْلَل مثل هِجْرَع وهِبْلَع ودِرْهَم وتصغيرها مُعيز والْخُبْرُ : اسم من الاختبار يقول : هو في الخبث كالذئب وقع في المِعْزَى وفي الاختبار كالظَّليم : إن قيل له " طِرْ " قال : أنا جَمَل وإن قيل له " احْمِلْ " قال : أنا طائر
يضرب للخَلُوب المكَّار

What came in the form of "أفعل" from this chapter

 More abject than a Qaysi in Homs. This is because all of Homs belongs to Yemen, and there is only one house of Qays there. More abject than a hand in a womb. He means weakness and humiliation. It was said: He means the hand of the fetus. Abu Ubaid said: Its meaning is that its owner is careful not to touch anything with his hand.

More abject than a water-drawing camel.

This refers to the camel used for drawing water. Al-Tirmah said:

A tribe more abject than water-drawing camels... and more familiar with humiliation than a sandal. (In the books of language, "al-khasf" - with a fatha - refers to a sandal with a sole, and each sole is called "khasfah").

Meaning the sandal.

More abject than a donkey of Qabban.

This refers to a type of beetle found between Mecca and Medina.

How strange! I saw a strange thing... a donkey of Qabban leading a rabbit.

He restrained it, urging it to go... So I said, "Let me ride behind you." He said... Welcome
More abject than a tick under a hoof
Al-Farazdaq said:
There, if you sought Kulayb, you would find him... More abject than a tick under hooves
More abject than a stake in a low place
Because it is always hammered. As for their saying:
More abject than a tethered donkey
The poet said about it and about the stake:
Indeed, humiliation is known to the donkey of the family... And the free man denies it, and the strong, sturdy camel (Al-Jasrah - with a fatha - is the great she-camel, and Al-Ajd - with a damma on both the hamza and the jim - is the one with a strong build and connected vertebrae).
And none dwells in the house of humiliation that he knows... Except the most abject of the family's donkeys. And the peg
This one is tied to the ground with its whole being... And this one is broken, and no one shelters it
More abject than a truffle in a gurgling place
Because it does not defend itself against whoever gathers it. And it is said: Rather, because it is trampled underfoot. And the truffle is the white truffle: and the plural is truffles, like a squash and a squash. And it is said: A white pigeon if it is white. And the abject man is likened to the truffle, so it is said: He is a truffle in a gurgling place because the animals tread on it with their feet. Al-Nabigha said, satirizing Al-Nu'man ibn Al-Mundhir:
Tell me, sons of the sister, what prevents a truffle in a gurgling place from disappearing?
Because the truffle does not It has no roots, no branches, and it is said, "So-and-so is a scum of the earth," as is said in proverbs about someone like that, "He is like the stubble of a tree," because the stubble is a plant that clings to tree branches without taking root in the ground. The poet said:

He is like the stubble, with no root, no leaf, no breeze, no shade, no fruit.

More abject than the young camels among the milk-producing camels.

The young camels are the offspring of a male camel, and the female is called a barren camel.

More abject than the young goat.

The young goat or kid is tied over the mouth of a trap and its head is covered. When a predator hears its cry, it comes after it and falls into the trap. The pitfall, so he took it.
More abject than the Naqad.
The linguists said: The Naqad is a type of sheep with short legs and ugly faces, found in Bahrain. The singular is Naqadah. Al-Asma'i said: The best wool is Naqad wool. And he said:
O Fuqaym, you are the worst of Tamim by origin... If you were sheep, you would be Naqad.
Or if you were water, you would be foam... Or if you were wool, you would be monkeys. (The monkey - with the vowel mark - is the wool waste.)
More abject than one upon whom foxes have urinated.
This is a proverb used for something that is abject, as in the other proverb, "The fox's ruin," meaning its demolished burrow. And it is said of evil that occurs between people who were at peace, "The foxes urinated between them." "The skunk farted between them," "a spear broke between them," "the earth dried up between them," and "a hyena defecated between them." Humaid ibn Thawr said:

Did you not see what remained of the affection between me and Ibn 'Amir... that foxes have urinated upon?
And what remained of the affection between me and him... is as if it never existed, and time is full of wonders.

More abject than a *qarmala* (a *qarmala* is a short tree with no shade, no refuge, and no shelter). It is said in another proverb: "A lowly one sought refuge in a *qarmala*," meaning a tree that neither shelters nor protects him; that is, he is lowly one who sought refuge in something lower than himself.

More abject than a sandal.
This is from the saying of al-Ba'ith: And every *kulaybi* His face is more submissive to the touch of humiliation than a sandal.

And it is narrated: "More submissive to men's feet than a sandal."
More submissive than a lamb.
They mean a lamb, and the plural is lambs. And he recited:
Our neighbor has perished from the rabble... And if she is hungry, she will eat a young goat or a lamb.
And in the hadith: "The son of Adam will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection as if he were a lamb, from humiliation." More humiliated than the egg of the ostrich. It is an egg that the ostrich leaves in a desolate place and does not return to. The shepherd said:
The tribe of Quda'ah refuses to acknowledge your lineage... And the sons of Nizar, you are the egg of the land. (Grammarians cite this verse as evidence that some Arabs are certain of the use of the particle "an" as a verbal noun.)
More abject than an Umayyad in Kufa on the day of Ashura
More abject than a date pit
They mean this pit that is attached to the top of the date, which is thrown down and trampled underfoot
More abject than a donkey
The donkey is the peg, and it is said so because its head is always being split open, and it is possible that it refers to a donkey
More abject than a camel calf
It is the offspring of a she-camel. It is still called a young camel until it is separated.

More degrading than a shoe,
because it is treated with contempt in every way when trodden upon. And they also say:
More degrading than a cloak, and more degrading than a sandal strap.
More degrading than a carpet,
meaning that which is spread out and covered, and everyone treads upon it.
More fragrant than roses, and than the finest musk and the finest ambergris.

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أَذَلُّ مِنْ قَيْسِيٍّ بِحِمْصَوذلك أن حِمْص كلها لليمن ليس بها من قيس إلا بيت واحد
أذَلُّ مِنْ يَدٍ في رَحِمٍ
يريد الضعفَ والهَوَان وقيل : يعني يَدَ الْجَنِينِ . وقال أبو عبيد : معناه أن صاحبها يتوقَّي أن يصيب بيده شيئاً
أَذَلُّ مِنْ بَعِيرِ سَانِيَةٍ
وهو البعير الذي يُسْتَقى عليه الماء قال الطرماح :
قُبَيِّلَةٌ أَذَلُّ مِنَ السَّوَانِي ... وَأَعْرَفُ لِلْهَوَانِ مِنَ الخصاف ( الذي في كتب اللغة أن الخصف - بالفتح - النعل ذات الطراق وكل طراق منها خصفة )
يعني النعل
أَذَلُّ مِنْ حِمَارِ قَبَّانَ
وهو ضرب من الخَنافس يكون بين مكة والمدينة وقال :
يَا عَجَبَا وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ عَجَبَا ... حِمَارَ قَبَّانَ يَقُودُ أرْنَبَا
خَاطِمَهَا زَأَمَّهَا أَنْ تَذْهَبَا ... فَقُلْتُ أَرْدِفْنِي فَقَالَ مَرْحَبَا
أَذَلُّ مِنْ قُرَادٍ بِمَنْسِمٍ
قال الفرزدق :
هُنَالِكَ لو تَبْغِي كُلَيْباً وجَدْتَهَا ... أذلَّ مِنَ القِرْدَانِ تَحْتَ المنَاسِمِ
أَذَلُّ مِنْ وَتِدٍ بِقَاعٍ
لأنه يُدَقُّ أبداً وأما قولهم :
أَذَلُّ مِنْ حِمَارٍ مُقَيَّدٍ
فقد قال فيه الشاعر وفي الوتد :
إنَّ الهَوَانَ حمارُ الأهْلِ يعرفُه ... والحرُّ ينكرُهُ والْجَسْرَةُ الأجُدُ ( الجسرة - بالفتح - الناقة العظيمة والأجد - بضم الهمزة والجيم جميعاً - الموثقة الخلق المتصلة فقار الظهر . )
ولا يُقِيمُ بدَارِ الذُّلِّ يعرفُهَا ... إلا الأذَلاَّنِ عَيْرُ الأهْلِ وَالوَتِدُ
هذَا على الْخَسْفِ مَرْبُوطٌ برُمَّتِهِ ... وذا يُشَجُّ فلا يأوِي لَهُ أحَدُ
أَذَلُّ مِنْ فَقْعٍ بِقَرْقَرَةٍ
لأنه لا يمتنع على من اجتناهُ ويقال : بل لأنه يُوطَأ بالأرجل والفَقْع : الكَمْأة البيضاء : والجمع فَقْعَة مثل جَبْء وجَبْأة ويقال : حمام فقيع إذا كان أَبْيَضَ ويُشَبَّهُ الرجلُ الذليلُ بالفَقْع فيقال : هو فقعُ قَرْقَر لأن الدوابَّ تنجله بأرجلها قال النابغة يهجو النعمان بن المنذر :
حَدّثُونِي بني الشَّقِيقَةِ مَا يَمْ ... نَعُ فَقْعاً بِقَرْقَرٍ أن يَزُولاَ
لأن الفَقْعة لا أصول لها ولا أغصان ويقال " فلان فقعةُ القاعِ " كما يقال في مولد الأمثال لمن كان كذلك " هو كَشُوثُ الشجر " لأن الكَشُوثَ نَبْت يتعلَّق بأغصان الشجر من غير أن يضرب بعِرْقٍ في الأرض قال الشاعر :
هُوَ الكَشُوثُ فلا أَصْلٌ ولا وَرَقٌ ... ولا نَسِيمٌ ولا ظِلٌّ ولا ثَمَرُ
أَذَلُّ مِنَ السُّقْبَانِ بَيْنَ الْحَلاَئِبِ
السُّقْبَان : جمع السَّقْب وهو ولد البعير الذكر ويقال للأنثى : حائل والحلائب : جمع الحَلُوبة وهي التي تُحْلَبُأ
ذَلُّ مِنَ اليَعْرِ
هو الْجَدْي أو العَنَاق يشدُّ على فم الزُّبْيَة ويغطَّى رأسُه فإذا سمع السبعُ صوتَه جاء في طلبه فوقع في الزُّبْيَة فأخذ
أَذلُّ مِنَ النّقَدِ
قال أهل اللغة : النَّقَد جنسٌ من الغنم قصارُ الأرجُلِ قِباحُ الوجوه يكون بالبحرين الواحدة نَقَدَة قال الأصمعي : أجود الصوف صوفُ النَّقَدِ وقال :
فُقَيْمُ ياشَّر تميمٍ مَحْتِداَ ... لو كُنْتُمُ ضَأناً لكُنْتُم نَقَدَا
أو كنتُمُ ماءً لكنتُمْ زَبَدَا ... أو كُنْتُمُ صُوفًا لكنتم قَرَدَا ( القرد - بالتحريك - نفاية الصوف )
أَذَلُّ مِمَّنْ بَالتْ عَلَيْهِ الثَّعَالِبُ
هذا مثل يضرب للشيء يُستَذَل كما يقال في المثل الآخر " هدمة الثعلب " يعني جحره المهدوم ويقال في الشر يقع بين القوم وقد كانوا على صلح " بال بينهم الثعالب " و " فَسَا بينهم الظَّرِبَانُ " و " كسر بينهم رُمْح " و " يَبِسَ بينهم الثَّرَى " و " خريت بينهم الضبع " قال حميد بن ثور :
ألم تر ما بيني وبينَ ابْنِ عامرٍ ... من الوُدِّ قد بَالَتْ عليه الثَّعَالِبُ
وأصْبَحَ باقِي الودِّ بيني وبينه ... كأنْ لم يَكُنْ والدهْرُ فيه عَجَائِبُ
أَذَلُّ مِنْ قَرْملَةٍ
القَرْمَل : شجر قِصار لا ذَرَى لها ولا مَلْجَأ ولا سِتر ويقال في مثل آخر : " ذَلِيلٌ عاذ بِقَرْمَلَةٍ " أي بشجرة لا تستره ولا تمنعه أي هو ذليل عاذ بأذلَّ من نفسه
أَذَلُّ مِنَ الَّنْعِل
هذا من قول البَعِيث :
وكلُّ كُلَيَبْي صَفِيحَةُ وَجْهِهِ ... أَذَلُّ على مَسِّ الهَوَانِ من النَّعْلِ
ويروى : " أذل لأقدام الرجال من النعل "
أَذَلُّ مِنَ البَذَجِ
يعنون الحَمَل والجمع بِذْجَان وأنشد :
قد هَلَكْت جَارَتُنَا من الهَمَجْ ... وإن تَجُعْ تأكُلْ عَتُوداً أو بَذَجْ
وفي الحديث : " يؤتى بابن آدم يوم القيامة كأنه بَذَجٌ من الذل "ذَلُّ مِنْ بَيْضَةِ البَلدِهي بيضة تتركها النعامةُ في فَلاَةٍ من الأرض فلا ترجع إليها قال الراعي :
تأبى قُضَاعَةُ أَنْ تَعْرِفْ لكم نَسَباً ... وَابْنَا نِزَارٍ فأنْتُمْ بَيْضَةُ البَلَدِ . ( يستشهد النحاة بهذا البيت على أن من العرب قوما يجزمون بأن المصدرية )
أَذَلُّ مِنْ أَمَوِيٍّ بالكُوفَةِ يَوْمُ عَاشُورَاءَ
أَذَلُّ مِنْ قِمَعٍ
يَعْنُون هذا الملتزِق بأعلى التمر يرمى به فيوطأ بالأرجل
أذَلُّ مِنْ عَيْرٍ
العَيْر : الوتد وإنما قيل ذلك لأنه يُشَجَّجُ رأسُه أبداً ويجوز أن يراد به الحمار
أَذَلُّ مِنْ حُوَارٍ
وهو ولد الناقة . ولا يزال يدعى حُوَارا حتى يُفْصل
أَذَلُّ مِنَ الْحِذَاءِ
لأنه يُمْتَهن في كل شيء عند الوَطْء وكذلك يقولون :
أَذَلُّ مِنَ الرِّدَاءِ وَأَذَلُّ مِنَ الشَّسْعِ
أَذَلُّ مِنَ البسَاطِ
يَعْنُون هذا الذي يُبْسَط ويُفْرَش فيَطَؤُه كلُّ أحد
أَذْكَى مِنَ الْوَرْدِ وَمِنَ المِسْكِ الأَصْهَبِ وَالعَنْبَرِ الأَشْهَبِ

 

امثال مولدة متاخرة عن المتن .....Proverbs derived later than the Matin...

A wolf in a lamb's den, a wolf that has become a sheep.
The humiliation of isolation laughs at the arrogance of authority.
The dog's tail earns it food, and its mouth earns it beatings.
Humiliation is for him who has no fool to guide him.
I drove away the beasts, then the hyenas devoured me.
The donkey went seeking horns and returned with its ears cut off.
The people are gone, and only the baboon remains.
My juice is gone, and only my thorn remains.
For a thing, its benefit departs, but it remains. His cost
The elephant mentioned his country
You blamed me for the offense, so why did you accept the reward?
Said Ali ibn Abi Ubaidah
Leave the ambiguous statement, even if it is true
Humiliation is in the tails of cattle

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A wolf in sheep's clothing.
A wolf in sheep's clothing.
A direct opposite of someone who feigns gentleness while concealing malice.
The humiliation of dismissal laughs at the arrogance of power
Pride comes before a fall.
Meaning, one who is arrogant in their position may end up in the humiliation of dismissal.
A dog's tail earns it food, but its mouth earns it blows.
His tongue gets him into trouble.
Or: A wagging tail wins food; a barking mouth earns blows.
This is closer to the original image.
He who has no fool to defend him is humiliated.
Nice guys finish last.
Meaning, one who does not defend themselves or respond to foolishness with foolishness may be humiliated.
I warded off the beasts, then the hyenas devoured me.
Betrayed by those I protected.
Or:
I saved them, and they turned on me.
The donkey went looking for horns and came back with his ears cut off.
He went for wool and came back with horns.
This is the closest direct English proverb.
The good are gone, and the bad remain.
Or:
The best are gone, the worst remain.
My juice is gone, and my thorn remains.
The profit is gone, but the burden remains.
Or:
The pleasure is past, the pain remains.
The elephant remembered his homeland.
Home is where the heart is. Or:
An elephant never forgets home.
(An expression close in meaning, not a well-known proverb).
You criticized me for wrongdoing, so why did you accept the reward in return?
Two wrongs don't make a right.
That is: How can you criticize a wrong and then respond in kind?
Leave the difficult words aside, even if they are true.
Pick your battles.
Or:
Not every truth needs to be spoken.
Humiliation is in the tails of cattle.
Comfort breeds weakness.
Or:
Too much ease brings humiliation.
Its meaning is close to being preoccupied with ease and agriculture, neglecting hardship and strength.
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ذِئْبٌ في مَسْكِ سَخْلَةٍ ذِئْبٌ اسْتَنْعَجَ
ذُلُّ العَزْلِ يَضْحَكُ مِنْ تِيهِ الوِلاَيَةِ
ذَنَبُ الكَلْبِ يُكْسِبُهُ الطعْمَ وفَمُهُ يُكْسِبُهُ الضَّرْبَ
ذَلَّ مَنْ لا سَفِيهَ لَهُ
ذُدْتُ السِّبَاعَ ثُمَّ تَفْرِسُنِي الضِّباعُ
ذَهَبَ الحِمَارُ يَطْلُبُ قَرْنَيْنِ فَعَادَ مَصْلُومَ الأُذُنَينِ
ذَهَبَ النَّاسُ وَبَقِيَ النَّسْنَاسُ
ذَهَبَ عَصِيرِي وَبَقي ثَجِيرِي
للشيء تذهب منفعته وتبقى كلفته
ذَكَرَ الْفِيلُ بِلاَدَهُ
ذَمَمْتَنِي عَلَى الإساءَةِ فَلِمَ رَضِيتَ عَنْ نَفْسِكَ بالْمُكَافَأةَ ؟
قاله على بن أبي عبيدة
ذَرْ مُشْكِلَ القَوْلِ وإنْ كَانَ حَقًّا
الذُّلُّ في أَذْنَابِ البَقَرِ 

He grazed, and then his camels refused to drink.رعى فاقصب.

It is said, "The camel refused to drink," and "The shepherd refused to drink," meaning he neglected to graze his camels, causing them to refuse to drink. The word "grazed" itself doesn't imply negligence or mistreatment, but the word "refused to drink" is used to indicate poor grazing. This is because the camels refused to drink either because their stomachs were empty or full, both of which indicate poor grazing.
This proverb is used to describe someone who doesn't give good advice or doesn't take their responsibilities seriously enough, ultimately ruining the situation.
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The closest English equivalent to this proverb is:
He mismanaged the job.
Meaning: He mismanaged the task until he ruined it.
A very similar proverb and expression is:
He spoiled it through neglect.
Meaning: He ruined it through negligence and lack of care.
Similarly:
A bad workman blames his tools.
Although this focuses more on incompetence.
The closest equivalent to the meaning of "he didn't take good care of it until it went wrong" is:
Neglect ruins everything.
Or:
What is poorly tended soon goes wrong.
This is very close to the image of the Arabic proverb "He grazed until he overgrown his vines."
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يقال: قصب البعير يقصب، إذا امتنع من الشرب، و "أقصب الراعي" إذا فعلت إبله ذلك، أي أساء رعيها فامتنعت من الشرب، وليس في قوله "رعى" ما يدل على الإساءة والتقصير، ولكن استدل بقوله "أقصب" على سوء الرعي، وذلك أن الإبل امتنعت من الشرب إما لخلاء أجوافها وإما لامتلائها، وهما يدلان على إساءة الرعي.
يضرب لمن لا ينصح ولا يبالغ فيما تولى حتى يفسد الأمر.

He struck him with the skulls of his head. رماه بأقحاف رأسه.

That is, he silenced him with a calamity he inflicted upon him. The plural form is used because they meant he struck him repeatedly. It is also possible to use the plural with what surrounds him, implying that every part of him is a skull, just as they say: thick-lipped, broad-shouldered. The skull is the part of the head that covers the brain. One cannot strike him with it without dislodging it from its place and removing it. This is a metaphor for killing him, as if he reached the ultimate limit of silencing him, which is death. And the slain cannot speak.

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The closest English equivalent to this proverb is:
He silenced him completely.
Meaning: He silenced him completely, leaving him with no answer.
An even stronger expression, and one that closely resembles the proverb, is:
He crushed him with a devastating reply.
Meaning: He defeated him with a decisive argument or a knockout blow.
Similarly:
He shut him down.
This is a common expression for someone who has been completely silenced and has nothing left to say.
Because the proverb's root meaning is a knockout blow that reaches the point of destruction, there is also:
A knockout blow.
Meaning: A blow that ends the matter completely, whether in an argument or a confrontation.

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أي اسكته بداهية أوردها عليه، وإنما قيل بلفظ الجمع لأنهم أرادوا رماه به مرة بعد مرة، ويجوز أن يجمع بما حوله إرادة أن كل جزء منه قحف، كما قالوا: غليظ المشافر، وعظيم المناكب، والقحف: اسم لما يعلو الدماغ من الرأس، ولا يرميه به ما لم يزله عن موضعه وينزعه منه، وهذا كناية عن قتله، فكأنه بلغ به في الإسكات غاية لا وراء لها وهو القتل، والمقتول لا يتكلم.