«اِللِّي تْقُولْ عَلِيهْ مُوسَى تِلْتِقِيهْ فَرْعُونْ»

The saying warns that someone who appears virtuous, harmless, or trustworthy may prove to have the opposite character once tested. It urges caution before placing confidence in appearances or favorable first impressions.

Drawing on the moral contrast traditionally associated with Moses and Pharaoh, it describes a sharp reversal in judgment: a person first taken for good is discovered to be harmful or deceptive. It is figurative, not a literal claim about either figure.

Use it when later experience reveals that an overly favorable opinion of someone was misplaced, especially where polished manners or a respectable appearance concealed exploitative, dishonest, or damaging conduct. Apply it to a revealed mismatch between appearance and character, not to an ordinary mistake or disagreement.