«إِنْ حَلَقْ جَارَكْ بِلِّ انْتَ»

The saying advises people to notice what happens to those around them and draw a practical lesson from it. Another person’s experience can signal a danger or difficulty for which one should begin preparing.

Its image is of wetting one’s hair or beard before shaving, not wetting the whole body. It favors foresight over waiting until trouble arrives directly, urging alertness when a nearby example suggests a similar circumstance may follow.

Use it to urge someone to take warning from another person’s experience and prepare for a similar possible problem. It suits situations where an event close at hand suggests that others may soon need to act.