«خَرُّوبِةْ دَم وَلَا قِنْطَارْ صَحَابَهْ»

The saying holds that even the faintest family tie carries more weight than the largest store of friendship. It sets the kharruba, a tiny traditional weight, against the qintar, a huge one, and 'blood' here means kinship, not violence or bloodshed. Kinship, however distant, is heavier on the scale than companionship, however deep.

Behind the comparison lies a view of loyalty: relatives command a place in the heart that friends cannot fully claim. Blood bonds are treated as inherently dearer, so people are expected to favor kin when the two loyalties pull against each other.

Use it when someone defends siding with a relative over a close friend, or remarks that family loyalty prevails even when the friendship is long and the kinship remote. It can sound dismissive of friends, so take care with tone.