«مَا يِبْكِي عَلَى الْمَيِّتِ الَّا كَفَنُهْ»

The proverb claims that grief for the dead fades almost at once. Mourners soon return to their own affairs, and the only thing left clinging to the deceased is the cloth that wraps him. The point is how quickly people find consolation.

Its second edge concerns indifference. Beyond brief formalities, the living show little genuine concern for someone who has died. The shroud, pressed close around the body, is figuratively pictured as the deceased's sole faithful mourner, a pointed contrast with the people who quickly turn their attention elsewhere.

Use it to comment wryly on how fast people forget someone once he is gone, or on how little concern others show for the dead. It can sound harsh, so avoid saying it to the bereaved, since it implies their sorrow is short-lived.