«اِلسَّعَدْ مَاهُوشْ بِالشَّطَارَهْ»

The saying speaks of luck in the sense of a favorable lot in life, not of happiness or contentment, and holds that such luck is not won through shatara, a mix of cleverness, skill and resourcefulness. Fortune appears as something allotted to a person. Ability does not ensure advancement, and its absence does not ensure decline.

It serves as a comment on the gap between merit and reward. It can explain why a gifted person stays stuck while a dull one thrives. It also discourages people from assuming that their prosperity proves their superior intelligence or skill.

Fits remarks about outcomes that do not match people's abilities, such as a capable person who keeps failing or an unremarkable one who prospers. Said to someone struggling, it may console; said about someone's achievements, it may sound dismissive, so avoid it when crediting earned success.