«نُصِّ الْعَمَى وَلَا الْعَمَى كُلُّهْ»

The saying uses blindness as a figure for misfortune and ranks two misfortunes, favoring the smaller one. Losing part of something precious is painful, but losing all of it would be far worse, so a partial loss deserves to be accepted rather than bitterly resisted.

It works as a consolation and as a practical choice. When every available option carries some harm, the speaker urges taking the one that leaves something intact. The point is about degrees of damage, and the speaker makes no claim that the outcome is actually good.

Say it when someone faces a setback that could have been far worse, such as partial damage or a reduced loss. It helps the listener accept the smaller harm without pretending the situation is good. Because it uses blindness as an image, take care around people with visual impairments.