ProverbHub
Arabic · Arabic scriptProverb: Verified

«هَاتْ عِمِّتَكْ وِيُومِ الْقِيَامَهْ خُدْهَا»

Meanings

Each meaning is reviewed on its own.

Meaning: Verified
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.

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