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Arabic · Arabic scriptProverb: Verified

«اِلنَّارْ مَا تِحْرِقْشِ الَّا اللِّي كَابِشْهَا»

Meanings

Each meaning is reviewed on its own.

Meaning: Verified
English translation

Fire burns only the hand that grips it.

Literal wording

The fire does not burn anyone except the one who is clutching it.

Meaning and lesson

The saying holds that harm comes to whoever reaches out and takes hold of a danger. Fire stays harmless to people who leave it alone; it injures only the one who clamps a palm tightly around it. Trouble, likewise, strikes the person who engages with it.

The image also separates the one in deliberate, direct contact from those standing nearby. The person gripping the burning thing bears its full consequence, while onlookers remain unscathed, which makes the line a reminder that exposure to risk is often a matter of one's own reach.

When it is used

Fits moments when someone is hurt by a risk they chose to take up, or when cautioning a person against meddling in a dangerous matter. It can also explain why those who kept their distance came through untouched.

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