- English translation
Give me your turban now; you can have it back on Judgment Day.
- Literal wording
Hand over your turban, and on the Day of Resurrection, take it.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying mocks a person who takes a loan or borrows an object and keeps putting off its return. The turban stands for any borrowed item or unpaid debt. Postponing repayment until the Last Day means postponing it forever, so the lender should expect nothing back in this life.
The words are not something the debtor actually says. They describe what his behavior communicates, giving voice to an attitude of shameless delay that leaves the lender waiting for a settlement that will never come. The reference to Judgment Day signals endless delay, not a serious theological claim.
- When it is used
Use it wryly about a borrower or debtor whose behavior shows he never means to repay or return what he took. It suits complaints among friends or warnings to someone about to lend. It fits remarks about a person's habits, not polite requests made to that person directly.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Give me your turban now; you can have it back on Judgment Day.