- English translation
He left the saint's festival without so much as a handful of chickpeas.
- Literal wording
He came out of the mulid without chickpeas.
- Meaning and lesson
The image is a mulid, a popular festival with decorations and crowds held in honor of a saint, not only the Prophet, and not always on the actual birth date. A famous one honors al-Sayyid al-Badawi at Tanta. Vendors sell roasted chickpeas, a cheap, humble treat. Someone who leaves without any has gained nothing at all.
The saying describes a person denied a share of something others enjoyed. They were present, involved or entitled, yet they come away empty-handed. Because the missing prize is so small, the phrase stresses how complete the deprivation is.
- When it is used
Said about someone who was present at or involved in an affair yet ended up with no share at all when its benefits went to others. It points to complete deprivation rather than the loss of something valuable.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: He left the saint's festival without so much as a handful of chickpeas.