«كَرَامِةِ الْمَيِّتْ تِظْهَرْ عَنْدْ غُسْلُهْ»

The saying holds that a person's true standing cannot be judged until the end. Its image is the ritual washing of a body before burial: as the deceased is tended, a life's merits come into view once its course is complete. كرامة is read as honor or dignity, though religiously it can also mean a marvel granted the pious.

In practical speech it points to a delayed reckoning. The worth of someone's deeds, or the quality of an effort, becomes clear at its conclusion, when results and lasting reputation finally show what was there all along.

Use when someone's worth, generosity, or good character becomes plain only at the close of an undertaking or a life. It suits reflective remarks about delayed recognition; because it evokes the washing of the dead, explain the image gently to audiences unfamiliar with that practice.