- English translation
News of something distant will eventually reach people when travellers arrive.
- Literal wording
The pilgrims will bring news of the woman who gives birth in Mecca.
- Meaning and lesson
The image is of a woman giving birth in distant Mecca, whose news is carried back by pilgrims. It conveys confidence that a matter hidden merely by remoteness will become known when circumstances create a route for information to travel.
It may reassure a person waiting for word, or warn that concealment has limits. The saying suggests that distance by itself cannot keep news from emerging indefinitely once the appropriate time and circumstances arrive.
- When it is used
Use it when an event is unknown mainly because it occurred far away, but is likely to become known when the right time and circumstances bring news forward. It can offer reflective reassurance or caution that a remote matter may still come to light.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: News of something distant will eventually reach people when travellers arrive.