- English translation
His livelihood dripped down from heaven through a needle's eye; he tried to make the hole bigger and blocked it altogether.
- Literal wording
Provision coming down from the sky through the hole of a needle; he went to widen it and he plugged it.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying pictures a modest provision, or rizq, a livelihood granted by God, that reaches a person from above, thin as a thread through a needle's eye. Instead of accepting that narrow but reliable flow, the person sets about enlarging the opening and ends up sealing it shut.
It is a caution against greedy or clumsy efforts to multiply a small gain. Pressing too hard for more can destroy the little one already has, and the proverb often carries a sense that one should be content with an allotted portion rather than tampering with it.
- When it is used
Fits situations where someone with a small but steady gain grows impatient, pushes or meddles to increase it, and ends up losing it entirely. It serves as a warning beforehand or a wry verdict afterward, often aimed at greed or tampering with a modest blessing.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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