«اِلشَّنْقْ وَلَا شَفَاعِةِ ابْنِ الزِّنَا»

The saying declares that even death by hanging is preferable to being rescued through the good offices of a low, ignoble person. Accepting such a person's intercession is treated as a deeper humiliation than the punishment itself, because it places one in their debt.

The insult, a harsh slur for a child born of an illicit union, is used figuratively here: it brands the would-be helper as mean and contemptible in character, not as judged by birth. The slur remains offensive, and the proverb voices a fierce pride that rejects rescue by someone deemed unworthy.

Said in colloquial speech when someone refuses help, favors, or advocacy from a person they consider vile, insisting any hardship is preferable to owing them. Its offensive slur makes it insulting, so it fits heated or blunt speech rather than polite settings.