«اِلْمِفَلِّسْ يِغْلِبِ السُّلْطَانْ»

Someone who has lost everything is beyond the reach of any claim, however strong. A creditor cannot take money that does not exist, so even the highest authority in the land walks away with nothing when the person who owes is penniless.

The proverb carries a dry irony: poverty, normally a weakness, turns into a kind of shield. It is said when power or legal right proves useless against empty pockets, often with a shrug at the futility of pursuing a debt that can never be paid. It does not praise poverty or defiance of authority.

Use it when a creditor, official, or other powerful party has to give up on a claim because the debtor is completely broke. It suits wry comments on unpaid loans, fines, or settlements where no money remains to take.