«رِكِبِ الْخَلِيفَهْ وِانْفَضِّ الْمُولِدْ»

The image comes from the mawlid of al-Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi. The khalifa, head of the Sufi order linked to him rather than a political caliph, rides in a grand procession on the festival's last day. Once he mounts and rides out, everyone knows the celebration is finished and the crowds disperse.

Applied to everyday life, the saying declares that a matter has run its course and is over. The decisive moment has already happened, so there is no point waiting or hoping for more. It signals that something has ended, not that it failed.

Use it after an event, opportunity, or affair has clearly wrapped up, especially to tell someone who arrives late or keeps asking about it that nothing more remains. It marks completion, not failure or disappointment, and suits casual, wry conversation.